Traffic in Tianjin

The traffic in Tianjin is unlike any traffic I have ever seen before. I have traveled to New York City and I thought the traffic was crazy there, but Tianjin is ten times crazier. There have been numerous times on our bus rides that I thought we might hit another car and somehow we never have. Cars don't use blinkers, sometimes they don't stay in one lane, some streets don't have lines for lanes, and many cars park on the sidewalk forcing people to walk on the street. We have had to walk on the street or in the bike lane many times and cars will always be honking. Even with our window closed in our hotel room, we can always hear cars honking. In Beijing, some streets had underground cross walks for pedestrians which I thought was a brilliant idea. Here in Tianjin, the cross walks are above ground and a free for all. People walk across the street whenever they can and do not follow the street signs to walk or don't walk. My roommate, Kannetha, and I got the courage to do as the Chinese do and walk across the street whenever we want. Some busy intersections are pretty scary and we often get stuck in the middle of the street, I am getting the hang of it though.