Quote:
Originally Posted by WingsToDiscovery
Of course if a street doesn't have a sidewalk, you do what you gotta do. That happens in America as well. But while American streets may be wider, Japanese sidewalks are a lot more crowded.
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I never had any problem walking or cycling when I was in Japan, so I suppose I just interpret it differently. Some people see the bike bell ringing as a sound of aggression, to me it's just a helpful warning, and in my experience even if you dither about they tend to give pedestrians right of way or move onto the road.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MMM
America also has a drinking and driving limit at 0.08% BAC. That means you can drink and drive in America. That means bicyclists, who must ride on the road, are killed by drinking and drunk drivers on a fairly regular basis over here. I am sure it happens in Japan as well, but not by people who are legally able to drive, as the legal BAC in Japan is 0.00%.
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Very very true. The penalties for drink driving in Japan are also harsher, I believe. Also an awful lot less people in Japan wear cycle helmets, even kids, so it's really unsafe to risk getting swiped by a car that doesn't give way. I mean, one of my sister's friends came off at 20mph, wearing a helmet and now has personality issues because the crash basically shook his brain up like a bowl of jelly.
The other thing about cycling on the roads in Japan is the roadside drains. Ok not an issue in town centres, but there were some near us in the 'burbs that were just bicycle death-traps especially after dark.