Cross the road? At your own risk!

Cross the road China-style

Roads in the big cities in China are filled to the brim with vehicles of every shape and size. Each main road is at least six lanes wide. If not for traffic lights, how do you cross the road? Chinese citizens have created an informal system that is labelled 中国式过马路, which is loosely translated as "crossing the road China-style".

How it works: gather at a traffic junction where you want to cross to the other side. When a large enough crowd gathers, cross the road as a big group, regardless of the traffic signal. The idea is that there is safety in numbers, so vehicles will slow down when they see so many people crossing the road as a group.

While it may have worked for sometime, police are now cracking down on this illegal and dangerous practice. If caught, you get fined RMB10, equivalent to five times the train fare. So far, it still hasn't deterred people from continuing this practice.

Cross the road in Hanoi if you can

Let's cross over to Hanoi, Vietnam, now. Traffic here is notoriously crazy. Even locals complain that people drive crazy in that city. So how do you cross the road here? Just step off the curb and inch your way across the road, keeping an eye out for motorcycles. Keep moving and vehicles will go around you. Nothing to fear. Before you know it, you'll be on the other side.

Well, tourists from countries that practice strict adherence to traffic rules are petrified when in Hanoi. It is so bad that guest house and hotel staff have maps complete with the easiest places to cross the road to get to a tourist destination.

Is it really that bad? Personally, I don't think so. I've been to Hanoi twice. Crossing the road there is no different from crossing the road down south in Ho Chi Minh City. Just step off the curb and go! The same goes for crossing the road in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

At the end of the day, it all boils down to observing common sense when crossing the road in any city or country. Don't import what you do at home to the new place. You will be frustrated. Embrace the new culture, warts and all. You'll enjoy yourself so much more that way!

Let's celebrate culture!

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