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Car vs Bike

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snipes1003

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Joined: May 18, 2008
Posts: 29

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Posted: May 22, 2008 - 10:29 AM
Post subject: Car vs Bike

Hey everyone,
I am a student who is doing research at ECUST in Xuhui this summer (because I didn't want to pay for my flight to China for the olympics). I was wondering if a 20 year old could lease a car for an affordable price for 2 months or if a bike is a better way to go?

Thanks in advance!

snipes1003

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Joined: May 18, 2008
Posts: 29

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Posted: May 22, 2008 - 10:29 AM
Post subject: Car vs Bike

greenmark

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Joined: July 28, 2005
Posts: 557
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Posted: May 22, 2008 - 10:47 AM

Shanghai is pretty compact and flat, so a bike is a very viable option for within the city.

I think that it would be difficult to lease a car here unless you have a Chinese driving licence. Not only that it would end up being quite costly.

The other alternatives are taxis or buses.

If you're using a bicycle, the biggest worry is theft, so get yourself a cheap clapped out thing with a substantial lock. Weather can be a problem if it is too hot. It rains a lot as well but usually bicycles are more convenient in the rain as you can't find taxis then for love or money. You have to keep your wits about you a bit for traffic but I tend to find that drivers are more considerate to cyclists than they are to pedestrians (because if they hit you then you might scratch their paintwork).

yu888
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Joined: Jan 25, 2003
Posts: 18042
Location: ZhongShanParkArea SH

Posted: May 22, 2008 - 10:55 AM

if you have a drivers license here in China (no international licenses...except Belgium I think) then you may have that option. Otherwise, it will require a driver.

Bike is best way to go for student budget.

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sbergman

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Joined: Sep 12, 2007
Posts: 2165

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Posted: May 22, 2008 - 11:22 AM

It's tough to find parking in many parts of the city. I always laugh at my friends who have cars because they enjoy "the freedom" and then they tell me all the places where they don't go anymore because they can't find parking.

SnappySammy

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Joined: Nov 01, 2007
Posts: 10108

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Posted: May 22, 2008 - 12:06 PM

Driving here is very different then driving in the States(oops not sure where your from) taxis are cheap. The Metro is safe.. then you can always bike it. However you could get run over by a car or truck or motorcycle

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snipes1003

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Joined: May 18, 2008
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Posted: May 22, 2008 - 02:54 PM

Thanks everyone... ended up buying a bike for ~500 RMB that would have been ~$150 in the states at True-Mart (Wal-mart?). I think my University will reimburse me for it anyways so price wasn't really an issue anyways. My friend here helped me register the bike with the police so hopefully it won't get stolen and of course I bought a lock for both tires. BTW the first thing I noticed was how different driving was here (I'll try to avoid comments about asian drivers until I leave Wink

underh20
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Joined: Sep 27, 2006
Posts: 9900
Location: EOA Seminar

Posted: May 23, 2008 - 12:31 AM

Hahahahahaha ... bet it gets stolen within the term.

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maneo

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Joined: May 12, 2007
Posts: 760
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Posted: May 23, 2008 - 03:36 AM

snipes1003 wrote:

BTW the first thing I noticed was how different driving was here (I'll try to avoid comments about asian drivers until I leave Wink

Do you think that the expats that drive here drive differently from the locals?

p1atl10

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Joined: Mar 18, 2005
Posts: 6293
Location: Shanghai
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Posted: May 23, 2008 - 07:09 AM

^ not if they want to get anywhere....

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camelina

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Joined: Mar 24, 2007
Posts: 463
Location: The desert
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Posted: May 23, 2008 - 07:30 AM

I wouldn't want to drive here if you gave me a car! what a nightmare. I'm happy with taking taxis, buses or the metro but a bike is a good alternative for shorter distances. I'm a bit too chicken though.

snipes1003

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Joined: May 18, 2008
Posts: 29

Status: Offline

Posted: May 23, 2008 - 07:40 AM

damn, hope I don't offend anyone. In fact, my best friend in the U.S. moved to my hometown from Shanghai when he was 8 and my other best friend is from Korea so nothing against Asians, but the evidence is out there for the driving... my point was that in the U.S., asians, especially asian girls have a terrible driving reputation. this is what I found when I typed in "asian driver" into urban dictionary... http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=asian+driver
I guess I can understand the origins of their driving now!

Last edited by snipes1003 on May 23, 2008 - 07:51 AM; edited 1 time in total

camelina

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Joined: Mar 24, 2007
Posts: 463
Location: The desert
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Posted: May 23, 2008 - 07:43 AM

What a stupid website. I'm an "asian female driver" (although not here obviously as per my previous post) and don't drive like an idiot. Btw I hear they drive pretty badly in Rome if we're going for stereotypes...

sbergman

Veejay

Joined: Sep 12, 2007
Posts: 2165

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Posted: May 23, 2008 - 09:23 AM

Chinese had a bad reputation as dangerous drivers in the college town where I lived. I think it was because most of them came over and got a driver's license without ever taking a class and having had very little experience in cars. (It's amazing how much you pick up about driving just by being a passenger since infancy.) It wasn't their fault, though, it was a system that made it too easy for a new driver to get a license. The lack of "car culture" plays into it, too. One of my Chinese students admitted that she has no idea how to adjust her side view mirrors. Scary. It'll get better with time.