Reflections | Ancient Chinese traffic rules: speeding on horseback could get one flogged, youth gave way to the old, nobles had right of way – thankfully there were no zebra crossings
- Traffic regulations came about in ancient China as large cities emerged; apart from punitive measures, there were also appeals to public decorum
- I don’t drive, but based on what I know, pedestrians should have the right of way at zebra crossings. Otherwise, what’s the point in having them?
I am lucky to have lived in four cities: Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Shenzhen and Singapore. Whenever I mention this, almost everyone wants to know how they compare and which city I prefer, especially insecure Hongkongers who are obsessed with the Hong Kong-Singapore rivalry, which exists mostly in their heads.
Each city has things that I like and things that make me wish I were someplace else.
The items on my personal checklist, like cultural diversity, interesting activities and places, food options, ease of getting around, landscapes, and streetscapes, are all subjective preferences for which people have different standards.
They are also variable, shifting in importance over time as my priorities and outlook in life change with age and experience. So it is not especially helpful to make comparisons.
That said, there is one particular thing in each of these four cities that I do compare and grumble about: zebra crossings. More specifically, what drivers and pedestrians do when they encounter those bands of white stripes painted on the road.
In three of the cities that I have lived in, vehicles do not, and are not expected to, give way at zebra crossings. Pedestrians must wait for the traffic to clear before they step onto the road.
