Pedaling Beijing

Navigating our way through Beijing's wide primary streets and narrow "Hu Tongs" or ancient villages that are the hallmark of this grand, historic capital city of 22 million has given us a unique perspective on life in China, and a new appreciation for each other.

  

Walking or biking on the busy streets, we constantly look left, right, and behind to avoid collisions with walking “zombies” (smartphone-absorbed pedestrians) as well as a comical cornucopia of phone-fixated scooter, bike and motorcycle drivers weaving chaotically in and out of traffic. Add to this swift-moving, turbulent sea of humanity, a constant stream of “tuk-tuks” (small, motorized 3-wheeled carts) carrying everything (including . . . literally, the kitchen sink), and . . . oh yeah . . . there are also cars.

A few weeks ago, we ventured out on bicycles to take advantage of the convenient bicycles lanes on both sides of nearly every Beijing street. What we discovered was a unique Chinese phenomenon. Every road has three things: a sidewalk, an impressive and separate bicycle/scooter lane, and lanes for vehicle traffic. But at any given moment, any of the above modes of travel can be found going with or against traffic on any of those channels. Cars drive on the sidewalk; pedestrians wander down the middle of streets, and everyone and their dogs (literally), uses the bike/scooter lanes. Standing in one spot, we see proper old women hoisting parasols for shade, sitting side-saddle, facing backwards on the backs of scooters. We see a man transporting five howling dogs strapped into various baskets on his unusual vehicle. We see a distinguished old Chinese man lovingly transporting his silver-haired wife in the back of his motorized tricycle. We see workers moving large, heavy equipment with peddle-power alone. We see scooters with three or four unstrapped children moving along at high speed, the children smiling and content as if on a casual Sunday drive.

Occasionally, we encounter the impossible--a large (and I mean LARGE) intersection with absolutely no traffic lights installed. Cars entering from 4 or 5 directions barely touch their brakes as they "thread the needle" and emerge intact on the other side using . . . what? Maybe a brand of telepathy issued exclusively to long-time Beijing residents? There must be a very large contingent of guardian angels assigned to Beijing. 

We've learned to be aggressive on our bicycles in order to stay safe. Setting a course and pursuing it aggressively is what 2, 3 or 4 wheeled travelers expect to see you do. Being timid or hesitant throws off the delicate machinery that keeps this place humming along with no accidents. We've yet to see or hear of an accident!! In fact, when we've asked natives about it, they seem confused by the concept of "accident" even when the language barrier is accounted for.

Us (standing on the side of the road, watching what appear to be numerous “near misses” in a 3-minute period): ‘Do you see many accidents involving bicycles in Beijing?’

Native: ‘What do you mean?’

Us: ‘Maybe a car or motorcycle running into a bicycle?’

Native (looking puzzled): ‘I’m still not sure what you mean by that. How would they run into each other?’

Us: ‘Maybe they would crash together?’

Native (incredulously): ‘Oh no! I’ve never heard of that happening!’

We’ve learned that when a car pulls out in front of you, for instance, it's best to keep pedaling at full speed as you maneuver around it. Don't stop. Don't slow down. Don't panic. Don't hesitate. It works--and has worked for hundreds, even thousands of years.

Dodging and weaving our way back home, we step through the door of our apartment into the realm of our humming air filters and if it's late enough, we stare at a fractured moonlight glow reflecting from the large crack extending the length of our apartment's tiled floor--possibly from a long-forgotten earthquake. We look at each other, smile, and mimic a baseball umpire sweeping his arms in a giant motion: “Safe!”

Chaotic and unsafe, you say? Maybe, but it’s worth it. We're learning to adjust, to survive and to enjoy this incredible journey. We look at each other differently than we did just a few weeks ago. We hold each other's hand more tenderly, grateful to have been accepted as fellow travelers into the vibrant, synchronized energy that is Beijing.