tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268789363253190247.post2674734091748172444..comments2023-06-25T18:01:34.208+09:00Comments on Busan Mike / 부산 마이크: Mad MaxMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15349691823513127693noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268789363253190247.post-79721077986736051732007-04-17T00:51:00.000+09:002007-04-17T00:51:00.000+09:00I have to confess that I loved the traffic chaos i...I have to confess that I loved the traffic chaos in Vietnam. The sheer delight of taking new arrivals to the hostel out for a few Bia Hoi was always a treat.<BR/><BR/>"Here's a busy intersection. This is how you cross" and then step out into it and watch as they shut their eyes and waited for the squeal of brakes and the rending of flesh. Which, of course, never happened.Mosherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00374548021605224698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268789363253190247.post-79215452198104879672007-04-17T00:34:00.000+09:002007-04-17T00:34:00.000+09:00The "wherever there's a sodding gap" principle doe...The "wherever there's a sodding gap" principle does tend to apply here - although I doubt it's as bad as Vietnam! I do think traffic rules here seem more like guidelines though.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15349691823513127693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268789363253190247.post-32730702646698246502007-04-16T14:34:00.000+09:002007-04-16T14:34:00.000+09:00Sounds like Vietnam... Australia also has the "lef...Sounds like Vietnam... Australia also has the "left turn on a red light" rule (equivalent to the Korean turning right due to left-hand-side driving here) although I think it varies from state to state.<BR/><BR/>I was kind of looking the wrong way in Vietnam, but seeing as they don't drive on the right so much as "wherever there's a sodding gap" you have to look both ways all the time anyway.<BR/><BR/>Korea sounds a lot like Vietnam as far as the traffic goes. Roads don't so much have rules as guidelines.Mosherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00374548021605224698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268789363253190247.post-34029501015543317132007-04-16T10:44:00.000+09:002007-04-16T10:44:00.000+09:00Hello James, thanks for the comment, and congratul...Hello James, thanks for the comment, and congratulations on surviving in Busan for this long! I'd worked out that drivers turn right freely at intersections, but I didn't realise it was actually legal. I think I've read that article on the world rankings of dangerous drivers, and in fact by coincidence there was a piece on KBS news last night talking about the huge numbers of motorcyclist deaths in Korea last year - the figures seem to be rising alarmingly.<BR/><BR/>I've worked out that the trick is to ignore any perceived rules and keep myself focussed on a 10-foot zone around me - 360 degrees - and if anything enters that zone quickly to jump out of the way. Sadly after six months I'm still looking the wrong way when I start to cross the road because we drive on the opposite side back home. Trying to break that habit.Mikehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15349691823513127693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268789363253190247.post-56346075165812585442007-04-16T00:43:00.000+09:002007-04-16T00:43:00.000+09:00Hi, I'm a Brit in Busan, been here 7 years, and ha...Hi, I'm a Brit in Busan, been here 7 years, and have been following your blog for a few weeks now and really enjoying it, so I thought I'd finally say Hi and comment.<BR/><BR/>Forgive me if you already know this, but the reason I've been hit (twice) and nearly hit (countless times) at pedestrian crossings, when the green man shows, is that Korean drivers can make a free right turn at an intersection, even if the light is red, so long as they give way to oncoming traffic. <BR/><BR/>So not only do many Korean drivers ignore the lights anyway, but many are too busy turning right and thinking about other cars to slow down or even acknowledge pedestrians crossing! They have the same rule in the US, and I don't know what Americans think of the rule, but Koreans are the 5th most dangerous drivers in the world (give you a link if you like), and I think this rule plays a big part in it!<BR/><BR/>Cheers, sorry for the long first comment.<BR/><BR/>James in Gwanganli.The exciting and talented Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14088829320383020664noreply@blogger.com