Traffic Mishaps and Traffic Accidents in Taiwan and Montreal
Crazy driving in Taiwan to the nth degree: Palm fronds on a tricycle.
Also, if you look through some of the archives in Michael Turton's blog you can see really crazy, outrageous examples of driving in Taiwan, be they scooter, car, or little-blue-truck-related.
Yesterday, here in Montreal, I was riding my bicycle home and as I drove down avenue Mont Royal, I saw the results of a motorist vs. bicycle accident. The thing was, it wasn't just one bicycle that was impacted, but two or three. I was still riding my bicyle as I past the crosswalk between the south side and the north side of St. Denis and Mont Royal. But, between the yellow dividing line and the south side, were the two or three bodies (fortunately still alive and moving, but barely. Closest to the dividing line was a woman with her head bloodied. It looked horrible. It felt wrong, so I looked away. There were already many, many ambulances and paramedics taking care of the situation, and I moved on. The other person I saw laying there was another girl who was lying, stomach and torso-down on the pavement, in the middle of the south side of the pavement. One or two paramedics were giving her water.
Anyway, as I drove on, I biked a fair bit more slowly. These kind of things make you think. I've never gotten in an accident. I know, it's not always both the motorists and the cyclists fault. Still, I see so many cyclists not aware, not looking. Awareness is the thing. Most people are not aware, period. It's not even a matter of looking, of looking ahead. It's looking around, showing curiosity, and alertness. That is life.
Still, I feel and felt very sorry about the whole thing. I've never seen a casualty like that before, close-up. Well, I have, I guess, but not bloody casualties. I felt very yucky for about four hours, even after I started eating dinner at Santropol with Christin, one of my best friends. I hope it wasn't as bad as it looked out there on the street, with the blood running down and everything. Terrible.
Just terrible.
Also, if you look through some of the archives in Michael Turton's blog you can see really crazy, outrageous examples of driving in Taiwan, be they scooter, car, or little-blue-truck-related.
Yesterday, here in Montreal, I was riding my bicycle home and as I drove down avenue Mont Royal, I saw the results of a motorist vs. bicycle accident. The thing was, it wasn't just one bicycle that was impacted, but two or three. I was still riding my bicyle as I past the crosswalk between the south side and the north side of St. Denis and Mont Royal. But, between the yellow dividing line and the south side, were the two or three bodies (fortunately still alive and moving, but barely. Closest to the dividing line was a woman with her head bloodied. It looked horrible. It felt wrong, so I looked away. There were already many, many ambulances and paramedics taking care of the situation, and I moved on. The other person I saw laying there was another girl who was lying, stomach and torso-down on the pavement, in the middle of the south side of the pavement. One or two paramedics were giving her water.
Anyway, as I drove on, I biked a fair bit more slowly. These kind of things make you think. I've never gotten in an accident. I know, it's not always both the motorists and the cyclists fault. Still, I see so many cyclists not aware, not looking. Awareness is the thing. Most people are not aware, period. It's not even a matter of looking, of looking ahead. It's looking around, showing curiosity, and alertness. That is life.
Still, I feel and felt very sorry about the whole thing. I've never seen a casualty like that before, close-up. Well, I have, I guess, but not bloody casualties. I felt very yucky for about four hours, even after I started eating dinner at Santropol with Christin, one of my best friends. I hope it wasn't as bad as it looked out there on the street, with the blood running down and everything. Terrible.
Just terrible.
posted by Thoth Harris at 4:16:00 AM
3 Comments:
I see cyclists out here riding with headphones on, completely oblivious to wha is going on around them. The there are the Critical Mass People, cycling activists who want people out of cars and out on bikes. They were slowing up my bus yesterday pissing everyone off inside.
This makes me glad I bike on a trail to work...I think riding you bike is good, but it can be dangerous when you try and hop into traffic. there should be more bike lanes...
I haven't found the courage to ride a scooter in Taiwan yet. Three of my friends have been in serious accidents this year. John and I had a minor one last year.
Despite this, I still ride my bicycle in traffic. Last weekend, I saw an elderly gentleman get smoked by a truck. He flew a good ten feet and landed on this stomach. Unbelievably, he jumped to his feet and started pummeling the side of the truck, trying to get at the truck driver.
After reading your post today, it makes me even more aware of the dangers of riding bicycles in traffic. I think I'm going to stay off my bike for awhile.
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