Originally Posted by genec
I have not yet been to Beijing, (I hope to get a chance to go) but I found this statement very true on my visits to Hangzhou... and I was instructed by my fellow engineers/hosts to avoid looking at drivers while I crossed the street on foot. Very strange practice... avoiding eye contact while hoping to not be hit.
Yes, and of course it doesn't always work. I've seen some really bad accidents resulting from bike casually drifting across three lanes of traffic without looking, and getting hit from behind.
Originally Posted by genec
belive me there are more people moving on foot and bike than by car... at least where I visited in Hangzhou.
My guess is that there are more cars in Beijing than Hangzhou (never been). I don't think I've ever seen the streams of bicycles you refer to, but maybe I'm just desensitized. I have been stuck in bicycle jams -- at busy intersections during rush hour, you can get a group of bikes 5 bikes wide and more than 10 bikes deep waiting for the light to change. Annoying if you're stuck behind them and just want to make a right turn. I guess that's what drivers feel like all the time!
Oh, and +1 on the rain gear comment! It's great -- like watching a city of tents riding around.
Hope you have a chance to visit Beijing in the future. It can be ugly, maddening, and polluted but it's rarely boring.