the jimmymac attack!

There are about 1 million motorcycles in Taipei. I am not kidding or exaggerating. There are over 500 motorcycles per 1000 people. That is how people who keep track of these things count. There are more motorcycles per person in Taiwan than in any other country in the world. By motorcycles I mean what we would call scooters in America or Europe. Ask a Taiwanese person and they will tell you, 'its very convenient'. Yes, it is very convenient if you are a motorcycle rider. If you are a pedestrian it is another story completely. I would not use the word convenient to describe the motorcycles. I might be inclined to say they are a pain in the bloody ass. You see the motorcycles do not just stay on the roads as you would expect of a motorized vehicle. It seems the motorcycle drivers think they should be able to use the roads and the sidewalks also. Silly me, from where I'm from the sidewalks are usually built for pedestrians. In fact the motorcycles not only drive on the sidewalks but often the sidewalks are the parking lots for motorcycles. Where I live in Banchiao sometimes you can barely walk on the sidewalk because there are so many motorcycles. And again I am not kidding or exaggerating. But the motorcycle riders will tell you, 'its very convenient!'. Yea, in a pigs eye I say. Sometimes to walk on the sidewalk I must turn sideways to slip between a wall and motorcycle. Again no exaggeration and I am not a fat person at all. Forget about pushing a baby carriage or wheel chair on some sidewalks or even walking beside a friend. Ladies with babies and old people in wheel chairs go on the road! You would think the motorcycles should be on the road and the baby on the sidewalk! In Taiwan things are reversed from what makes sense. Sometimes I go for a mango drink in the night market. At my favorite fruit stand there is a normal space of about four feet to walk in. Occasionally a motorbike driver will park their bike right across the entrance. To get in you have to turn sideways and slip through the small space left between the counter and the motorbike. I find it unbelieveably rude, inconsiderate, maddening and frustrating. But what is more unbelieveable is it seems I'm the only one who objects or cares about this intrusion. Everyone just slips around the bike. No one pushes it aside or swears or kicks it. It is all very, very amazing to me. Motorcycles/scooters, they are so convenient!