The Air That We Breathe

Most people have heard of the horrendous air pollution in Beijing. For one thing, I've only seen a blue sky a few times in the last two weeks. There is a permanent haze which rarely dissipates. Coughing and spitting are common. New cars are being registered in Beijing at the rate of about 1,000 per day. Presently there are about 2.5 million cars in Beijing and it almost seems that all of them are on the streets at the same time. However, Beijing has an excellent public transportation system with a modern subway and numerous buses, although I'm told they are very crowded at cetain times of the day. Taxis abound. I think there are something like 67,000 taxis in the city. I'm trying my best to ride in every one of them! Transportation is so cheap compared to American rates. A taxi ride from the Y to my apartment is about $1.27 (10 yuan). However, that price is prohibitive to most natives and even I try to walk as much as possible.

Bicycles are used by many and you'd better watch out! There are bike lanes where people travel 3 or 4 abreast. I guess there's safety in numbers. No one gives way to a mere pedestrian. On many streets when traffic is stopped for a red light, cars making right turns breeze on through and watch out if you're in their path. Interestingly, most everyone signals when they turn or change lanes. I haven't yet seen anyone hit a bike rider or a person but, boy, do they come close! The only time I've seen so many bike riders in a city was when I was in Amsterdam. There are very few motorcyles or vespas. Quite the opposite of Italy where vespas were everywhere. No one wears helmets and most taxis do not have seat belts in the back seat.