If I die in China...it's because I got hit by a car.

I had to write a blog post for my LCC class on modernism in China. I chose to write on the traffic here. This is my post:

A defining aspect of the hustle and bustle that embodies the daily behavior of inhabitants from Tianjin is the traffic movement. Everyday, I witness cars, bikes, and pedestrians that seem to simultaneously demand priority on the street, particularly in intersections.

Despite the well-timed crosswalk signals with traffic lights, it appears as though chaos emerges at every intersection. Interestingly and by definition, contradictorily, the chaos appears almost organized and feels like a dance. There is an obvious tension between the behavior of people in the streets and the order technology attempts to achieve.

Though vehicles and bikes generally win the fight against pedestrians for the right of way, pedestrians consistently demonstrate bold behavior. This boldness includes ignoring crosswalk signals and weaving through oncoming traffic. The technology behind the timing of streetlights with the intended flow of pedestrian traffic is hence undermined. I imagine that a Tianjin intersection without crosswalk signals would function almost identically to an intersection with these signals. I find myself wondering if the crosswalk signals are not guidelines at all but simply an indication of traffic timing and tools to help pedestrians.




Above, several people are shown walking through a crowded intersection despite the crosswalk light glowing red. This is a typical sight here in the streets of Tianjin.

Crosswalk signals should, in theory, make the process of crossing the road simpler and run more smoothly. Here, crosswalk signals are also enhanced to display how much longer the light will remain red/green by showing a decrease in the amount of color shown. Even when pedestrians at a red crosswalk will get a green signal soon, they proceed into traffic to reach their destination when the opportunity arises.

Again, I consider the intended purpose of crosswalk signals here. Do they serve as rules or are they simply meant to assist pedestrians?

Although this ‘ordered chaos’ leads to a rather efficient process of moving cars, people, and bikes through the streets, I wonder if the process would be even more efficient should everyone follow the given signals as indicated. Would more cars move through the streets if they did not have to slow down to anticipate pedestrians in their path? Would accidents and injuries in the streets be fewer in number? Evidently, the city streets function well using the current intersection interactions, but I am intrigued by the interaction between the people and this particular technology.