My city is safe.

I went on a short bus ride to the supermarket and noodle restaurant yesterday, and was struck by how safe the roads are here in Guangzhou.

On the way to the supermarket, I saw a three-wheeled taxi lying on its side, with the owner and a friend working to right it. These little taxis have three wheels and are chain driven. They have a driver straddling a motorcycle-like gas tank on the front, with a passenger compartment in the back. I believe they are modified motor bikes, in the same way a three wheeled adult trike could be called a modified bicycle. The fares they charge are cheaper than a normal taxi, but more expensive than a bus. I have never been in one, and I don't think I'll start. I didn't see any evidence of shaken up or injured passengers, so that was good.

When I got to a major intersection called Tong He, I saw someone my age being attended to by his friends, with a number of girls looking on. He had lots and lots of blood streaming from his head and face, and he was walking around in a stupor. My bet is he got in a fight and my bus drove by just after it ended. There were people all around, and they all were watching him walk away, making me think there was quite a spectacle happening just before we passed. The good news is that head wounds bleed more than they should, so head injuries tend to look worse than they are and cause more apprehension and concern than they deserve. Plus, this guy was walking, so I figure he'll recover.

On my way back home, there was a police officer setting up pylons and all traffic was being merged from two lanes into one. When we drove by, I saw the source of the problem...a mangled bicycle was laying on the ground behind a car that it presumably had a collision with. The bike took the worst of the accident, and wouldn't be ridable again for sure. I didn't see any damage to the car. I saw the victim half laying down, half sitting up by the curb, dialing his cell phone. So the good news is that he was moving around and didn't seem to be too seriously hurt. The bad news is that he wasn't standing up to make the call, so maybe he was too hurt to do that. The accident happened at an intersection where a small lane and busy street meet, and I imagine the car pulled out onto the busy road without looking (like they always do) and either hit the bicyclist, or the bicyclist rear-ended the car when it pulled out in front. The accident site happened near the bottom of a down-hill, so the bike would have been going too fast to stop. It was about 9:30pm as well, so it was dark and people don't ride with lights here.

This bus trip reminded me that I must take caution and avoid three wheeled taxis that easily tip over, avoid confrontations that lead to physical violence, and avoid cars that drive blindly into intersections.