The Perils of Biking In Beijing

I was able to borrow the bike of a friend of a friend. The commute from my door at Quang Ye to the center at Bei Da (Peking U) takes 45 minutes. Riding a bike cuts down the commuting time by 15 minutes. However, the amount of stress and near-death (only a slight exaggeration) experiences may not make it worth the time.

Let me describe the scene. I am riding a black bike, with a broken basket, the seat of the bike lifts up when you pull on it, and the bike is just a tad too small. I try to weave in and out of traffic, following the other bikers’ lead when it is time to cross an intersection. The streets are PACKED! Luckily, or so I thought, there are bike lanes. .Unfortunately, bikers, cabs, and cars also like to use the “bike lane”. To top it off, there are usually a fair number of bikes and pedestrians that are going in the opposite direction. Oh yea, and no one follows traffic light and rules strictly.

Halfway through the ride, I begin to ignore the sounds behind me of cars honking and people yelling, and just focus on the path ahead. This seems to work and somehow, I make it to school safely, cars, bikes, and people swerve around me.

I told my host that I started riding my bike to school. She said “Before long, you’ll be Chinese”. Imagine that.