Getting Around in Shanghai

I think it is safe to say that NY traffic is reputed to be the most notorious in America. It would be also safe to say that NY drivers are probably the most aggressive in America. In Shanghai on the other hand, its every man for himself. In the US, the pecking order is usually cars yields to pedestrians although not always the case in NY. Here in Shanghai, cars do not yield to pedestrians so it would take a brave soul to walk in front of an oncoming car. Usually in that kind of situation the car will stop but he will do so about 2 inches from your body and it would be of the screeching variety, or he just might hit you. Add on top an onslaught of bicycle traffic going in every direction on sidewalks and the road and about 18 million Shanghaiese and you have a fairly harrowing experience for the uninitiated.

My commute to work is a 18 minute bus ride or a 18 minute taxi ride. With the kind of traffic we are talking about taxis are no faster than the bus. In Shanghai, people commute primarily by either bus or bicycle. The subway system here is not too extensive (5 lines) so far so for now bus and bike are still king. These buses are usually filled to the brim with people and in that kind of situation you throw civility out the window and yield to physics. Just move with the flow and don't fight the force pushing you in a particular direction. Most bus rides within the city will run between 2-3 RMB (26-39 cents). These bus drivers all think they are Mario Andretti, swerving between lanes, cutting off cars and missing cyclists and pedestrians by inches. There are lots of car accidents in Shanghai (for that matter China in general), but considering their rules of the road I am surprised there aren't more.

The aforementioned subway system is still a work in progress here. The long term plan is to build the most extensive subway system in the world by 2020. With the amount of people living and working here they need it. Hopefully this will alleviate some of the congestion above ground. There are only 5 lines in operation currently and by 2020 they plan to have 24 lines in operation. Generally, the fares on the subways here are 2-7RMB depending on distance (26-92 cents) traveled. The trains are far more modern and surprisingly cleaner than their NY counterparts. There are flat screen monitors on the station platform that lets the riders know when the next train will arrive. I think that they can do this because in most cases the subways are punctual. There are no mysterious stoppages of the trains in between stations that are a part of life in NY. Usually, the trains are fairly crowded and during rush hours, intensely crowded.

The taxis here in Shanghai, like their brethren around the world are the most aggressive drivers on the road. If bus drivers are Mario Andretti, then the cab drivers are Evel Knievel. 11RMB for the first 3km (1.87 miles) and 3RMB for each additional km. Most of the taxis are Volkswagen Santanas.

Despite all of these problems, I still would not trade my current commute with what I had in NY. Go from 80 minutes to 25 minutes door to door is not too bad. Of course most of that has to do with the fact that I can afford to live in the center of the city here while that is not as attainable in NY.