TorontoBoy
Well-known member
[SUB]China’s motorcycle army sputters along tough road to middle class [/SUB]
This year Chinese New Year is on Feb 08. Chinese New Year is based on the lunar calendar and changes yearly. There are 1.4b people in China and many are migrant workers from different areas of China. Once a year they make an arduous trek home.
This trip is incredibly dangerous for those on motorcycles. Firstly, riding on China's roads is really dangerous, as anyone who has done this can attest. China has a really high accident rate. At night trucks will park on the side of a highway or in a live lane without lights, very difficult to see with no street lighting. Second is that there are so many people moving in the country, it is like a mass migration and highly chaotic. Many get killed each year. Most have no choice but to ride their bikes or take the really overcrowded train system.
These riders are riding mostly single 125cc Chinese bikes, no fairings, and it is cold. I've not really seen riders with any protective gear in China. They might have a helmet but without any kind of certification. If you think Chinese products here are cheap, what the average Chinese citizen is able to buy is even worse. Gear in China is not good.
I'm wishing these riders a safe trip home. It won't be comfortable, but it's better than the train.
This year Chinese New Year is on Feb 08. Chinese New Year is based on the lunar calendar and changes yearly. There are 1.4b people in China and many are migrant workers from different areas of China. Once a year they make an arduous trek home.
This trip is incredibly dangerous for those on motorcycles. Firstly, riding on China's roads is really dangerous, as anyone who has done this can attest. China has a really high accident rate. At night trucks will park on the side of a highway or in a live lane without lights, very difficult to see with no street lighting. Second is that there are so many people moving in the country, it is like a mass migration and highly chaotic. Many get killed each year. Most have no choice but to ride their bikes or take the really overcrowded train system.
These riders are riding mostly single 125cc Chinese bikes, no fairings, and it is cold. I've not really seen riders with any protective gear in China. They might have a helmet but without any kind of certification. If you think Chinese products here are cheap, what the average Chinese citizen is able to buy is even worse. Gear in China is not good.
I'm wishing these riders a safe trip home. It won't be comfortable, but it's better than the train.
