Shanghai - The Streets

Shanghai's streets are a curious mix of cars, bikes, scooters, trucks, and who knows what else - a constant free-for-all of movement, from all directions.  The main streets are car-clogged, with all back-streets a mish-mash of bikes and people.  Both traffic and crossing lights are considered optional - you can see that many intersections involve cars, bikes, and people going from and to all directions.

Typical back street

Lots of folks out in the street for the holiday

Crossing the street, on foot or bike, can be quite a challenge, and a hazard - there are traffic lights (which are red for the cars in this photo), but it's pretty random, even with traffic cops on most larger corners.

Typical delivery system - a bike to drop off your water & coke

Something about this doesn't seem that safe

Bikes are of course everywhere

Jaywalkers are a serious challenge - this crossing guard (in yellow hat) is lecturing this family to wait for the light

Holiday night on the Bund

More night on the Bund

Interesting restaurant bike - they cook over a 6" by 3' trough with hot coals in it; much more flexible and portable than a big cooking truck.

Typical street sign - very helpful, large, with both characters to practice reading, English translation, Pinyin, East/West, everything.