[quote=“TheGingerMan”]Go with the flow,
Give a little, take a little…[/quote][quote=“jaame”] Fuck those fucking cunts![/quote][quote=“barfomcgee”]I’m glad I’m not the only one. Driving here so enrages me that a perpetual stream of obscenities and filth spews out my mouth from the time I leave my parking space to well after I’ve reached my destination.[/quote]
And I really don’t ride that much. About 4km a day. Unless it is track day…
that goes through my head a lot 
, but we got to remember it’s not really their fault, it’s the system. People need to be taught how to drive safely and with respect on the road, then perhaps we wouldn’t see so much death and carnage here, families and lives being destroyed forever. Not being melodramatic, but that’s exactly the result of this country’s failure to implement a reasonable system of learning to drive. It should be a top priority, but I don’t see any signs of those reverse-S bends being ripped up in the test centres.
It bothers me when I’m driving in town and people are all over the place. “Use your fucking indicators” is my favourite expression.
It scares the hell out of me on fast roads out of town, 2 way traffic, when you get the intense tailgating at 80km/h and insane overtaking stunts. This stuff kills and maims, and I just hope one day it doesn’t happen to me and my daughter.
the standard of driving here is my number one hate.
[quote=“Nuit”]
that goes through my head a lot 
, but we got to remember it’s not really their fault, it’s the system. People need to be taught how to drive safely and with respect on the road[/quote]
This might be true as far as who has the right of way when four people arrive at a four-way stop at the same time, but for many other things it’s just common sense. For example, a scooter swerving in front of a car without using a signal to make a left-hand turn is obviously, to anyone with a brain, a suicidal action.
Flying through a red light without even looking in either direction, swerving right into a busy street with checking if anything’s coming, taking a left turn without stopping to check and see if the way is clear, and overtaking on a busy street would be immediately recognized as life-threatening by any human with an IQ above 70.
[quote=“barfomcgee”]
Flying through a red light without even looking in either direction, swerving right into a busy street with checking if anything’s coming, taking a left turn without stopping to check and see if the way is clear, and overtaking on a busy street would be immediately recognized as life-threatening by any human with an IQ above 70.[/quote]
You just don’t understand Taiwanese culture.
[quote=“redwagon”][quote=“barfomcgee”]
Flying through a red light without even looking in either direction, swerving right into a busy street with checking if anything’s coming, taking a left turn without stopping to check and see if the way is clear, and overtaking on a busy street would be immediately recognized as life-threatening by any human with an IQ above 70.[/quote]
You just don’t understand Taiwanese culture.[/quote]
“Yes, if you don’t like cucking funts, then why don’t you go home? There surely can’t be as many where you come from.”
I thought I’d put that line in just before someone else said it, as its my all time favorite nonsense line of argument.
I want to see new trafic light colours. Pink, brown and blue. I’d also like to hear extracts from Chris Rea’s 1991 masterpiece Auberge coming from the light boxes. These wishes seem more likely than my desire to change the road habits of every single Taiwesnese person ever born past present and future.
Auberge!
I drove today on the open road for the first time since arriving in Taiwan, in my shiny, new-to-me car that sulavaca helped me obtain.
“WTF”, in its full form, uttered from my lips at least two dozen times from Taipei to Hsinchu.
I felt like a stunt driver. While going 100kph (posted speed limit), a lime green VW Lupo with 5 people casually popped into my lane going a smooth 70kph.
My next purchase might be a UBUS, because other drivers usually yield to them.
[quote=“kaiwen338”]
“WTF”, in its full form, uttered from my lips at least two dozen times from Taipei to Hsinchu.[/quote]
Don’t worry - once you start seeing what’s really going on around you on the roads, three city blocks should be enough for two dozen WTFs …
[quote=“kaiwen338”]I drove today on the open road for the first time since arriving in Taiwan, in my shiny, new-to-me car that sulavaca helped me obtain.
“WTF”, in its full form, uttered from my lips at least two dozen times from Taipei to Hsinchu.
I felt like a stunt driver. While going 100kph (posted speed limit), a lime green VW Lupo with 5 people casually popped into my lane going a smooth 70kph.
My next purchase might be a UBUS, because other drivers usually yield to them.[/quote]
Haha, It’ll totally change your Taiwan experience I think you’ll find. I recommend actually using your car to get around the island and see some countryside, otherwise the road users themselves will probably turn you a little more negative than you were used to thinking.
At least you made it on one piece. Have you had your car dinged yet?
And after a few years driving in Taiwan , you will have trouble driving back home, people will give YOU the finger and cuss at you.
[quote=“sulavaca”][
At least you made it on one piece. Have you had your car dinged yet?[/quote]
No dings yet, but a few scooter drivers came very close. One lady had to brake hard and rethink entering a red light, because I had the audacity to go on my green light.
You did what? You should know she has Taiwanese right of way. Oo! You really are pushing your luck there! 
Roundabouts, bouts, bouts
Push pineapple shake the tree!
To be fair, roundabouts would cause death in Taiwan. I think they could make it a lot better by using those traffic lights with sensors in the road so they don’t make you wait for 66 seconds if there’s nothing going the other way. That’s what gives me the shits as much as anything - the unreasonable length of time they expect me to wait, coupled with the fact that I’m waiting for no one. It’s a joke!
Thank god for Forumosa! If it wasn’t for this message board my wife would have killed/divorced me months ago for my incessant whinging about the state of the roads on the Ilha Formosa!
You mean those lights above the streets are traffic lights? Wow, news to me. I’m not sure about Taipei, but I’m way down south and nobody seems to think those red yellow and green things mean anything other than “hey drive underneath me whenever you want, I’m a colorful light”.
[quote=“barfomcgee”]
The biggest difference is that BKK drivers - though much faster and seemingly insane - are actually much more alert when they’re driving. Taiwanese drivers move at slower speeds than in BKK, but they are simply clueless as to what’s going on around them - much like zombies. I’d drive a moped in BKK over Taiwan any day.[/quote]
I totally agree with this, drove in jakarta where speeds are constantly 80-100km/h even in heavy traffic (you drive through 50cm lanes left between cars and pray noone opens a door!!!) And totally agree that here is more dangerous.
I actually think the dangers are caused by
-
as above the lack of awareness of drivers and the “what I cant see cant hurt me” style of driving
-
taiwanese lack of respect for red lights (since there are too many of them) - this makes every junction/crossing a death trap - also too many lights and lack of police monitoring cause this lazzez faire attitude
2b. the taiwanese OCD (and too many computer games) - there are websites dedicated to speed and red light detection cameras and “favourite” police spots - they learn and apply the law to these and ignore the rest
-
roads are a little narrower and car drivers not as well trained to keep separate lanes so causing scooters to dart in and out
-
lack of decisiveness - cars in between two lanes in case one lane is fater, scooters hopping between sides, scooters accelerating, then slamming on brakes, accelerating…
-
shit policing - only traffic cops do traffic stuff, ive seen the cars on patrol watch as a stream of traffic passes through a red light, even driving around them to break the light, but they do nothing and also when traffic cops direct traffic they dont have a means to report offenses, ie, example below
By civic blvd a cop stands on x-walk and forces cars and scooters to stop, but this doesnt stop me from getting (almost) hit every monring as I walk on green (after waiting 10s for the red-runners to pass). I saw one copy nearly get hit by a BMW and the driver leaned out and told the cop off before driving off. Much better system would place a cop there with support on either side, and do what they do in indo with “operasi” - they pull EVERY driver in who breaks red and you queue up for your fine, you drive past and its a MASSIVE fine (like 100USD instead of 2). After 1 week the problem at this junction is solved and move those 4/6 cops to the next one
[quote=“barfomcgee”][quote=“jaame”]OK that’s never going to happen but I hope it stops pissing me off soon. Otherwise I’m going to waste a lot of energy every time I get on the road swearing at people, saying “unbelievable” to myself and shaking my head in disbelief.
[/quote]
I’m glad I’m not the only one. Driving here so enrages me that a perpetual stream of obscenities and filth spews out my mouth from the time I leave my parking space to well after I’ve reached my destination.[/quote]
I also used to swear this much, now I expect shit to happen so now reserve my swear words for near death experiences, so IM down to about 1 cuss per mile
where in Jakarta can u drive 80-100kph even in heavy traffic?
Roundabouts.That’s what you need.
If only you’d let us Brits keep expanding our empire and culture, eh?
I have been told by a few very old stayers here that Taiwan used to implement roundabouts until they realised people wouldn’t or couldn’t use them as they were unaccustomed to giving way and so would crash too often. They were then replaced with the American intersection system which is usually slower, but can take up less space.
Yes, they phased out the traffic circles between about 15 and 20 years ago. In Taiwan, roundabout = clusterfuck. A traffic circle operates on the principle that drivers exercise a little give and take. You have the same problem where traffic must merge into fewer lanes, except in a circle. ME FIRST! ME FIRST!