Rude driving in Hong Kong

[♣628.finst]

I hate driving in Hong Kong... and Hong Kong drivers are among the most self-centred drivers on earth.

Besides being awful and obtuse drivers, they are "flat out rude" and inconsiderate...

I suppose it is largely... a luxury to drive and it's the rich that own cars and since the rich here think that they are the centre of the universe.

I was driving... amid the drizzling rain towards Sai Kung. I am usually a very circumspect driver that take all safety precautions and make sure the traffic both in front and behind of me is acting rationally.

Of course... when I wanted to move out of a lane I was traveling in that was behind a slow moving truck, into a faster moving lane, I looked over my right shoulder and into the mirror to see what the traffic conditions were in the other lane...

There was one car 10-15 metres behind me that I had been monitoring for several minutes giving me plenty of room to switch lanes and pass the truck.

I signaled my intentions by using my right turn indicator and started my move. So what does the Hong Kong driver behind me do?

Speeds up so that she is right besides me and give me a long unending horn honk.

You know, Hong Kong drivers are rude.

Opposing traffic attempting to make a right turn onto a road on the other side have to wait in a jug handle to join the downward flow of traffic only to then make their turn off the main artery onto the side street!

Hong Kong drivers rarely let the other people go. They just pull right up behind the car in front and block the others. They are plain rude.

[superchan7]

Trust me, it's a lot better than some other countries.

I drive in Hong Kong too and it's not particularly pleasant...but it could be so much worse.

[♣628.finst]

Originally Posted by superchan7

Trust me, it's a lot better than some other countries.

I drive in Hong Kong too and it's not particularly pleasant...but it could be so much worse.

It's better than many countries or cities--- yet they do the same as ours in much narrower roads and steep roads... and they are often rude. Tailing problem is very stressful, and they drive in normal speed (70-100 kph), in often rather congested condition...

[sfgadv02]

In HK, you dont really need to drive, the mass transit in HK is convinent! MTR, KCR, bus, taxis, minibuses! Anything!

[Manila-X]

I only thing I experienced here are taxi drivers with a bad attitude. I remembered in Hollywood Rd. when there was a confrontation between a taxi driver and a gwailo. The only thing I remembered was when the gwailo yelled "diu lei lo mo" at the driver

[HSBC]

Hey..in adelaide, the drivers don't let you cut into their lane until all of them have gone past you. When you do reverse parking in a busy lane, the driver from the back either horn at you or stop so close to you that you can't do anything. I reckon the drivers in Australia are far worse than those in HK!!!

[♣628.finst]

Originally Posted by sfgadv02

In HK, you dont really need to drive, the mass transit in HK is convinent! MTR, KCR, bus, taxis, minibuses! Anything!

Exactly. As I hate driving there... I prefer to use their efficient bus/MTR/KCR system--- Indeed they got great public transit, much better than the states. And they have very good buses. The rudeness of taxi drivers... however is comparable with their congested traffic. Road condition is excellent (Much better than Saskatoon or Winnipeg), though.

[♣628.finst]

Originally Posted by WANCH

I only thing I experienced here are taxi drivers with a bad attitude. I remembered in Hollywood Rd. when there was a confrontation between a taxi driver and a gwailo. The only thing I remembered was when the gwailo yelled "diu lei lo mo" at the driver

Well I had a very bad impresssion about local young "gwailo", though. Most of them are spoiled and rude. Yes, In fact those kids are mostly from wealthy families, and they are arrogant because they consider themselves "superior" from local population--- which is not true at all. They are anyhow ignorant kids, more so than ours.

[hkskyline]

I find driving in New York to be far worse. There are a lot more lights, and way too many cars.

[jso]

they are making good use of tight spcae even when driving. hong kong way to negotiate a roundabout is to look for the gaps instead of the oncoming cars.

[sfgadv02]

Originally Posted by hkskyline

I find driving in New York to be far worse. There are a lot more lights, and way too many cars.

Heh, it depends where you are at. Times Square, now thats a different story.

[EricIsHim]

Originally Posted by hkskyline

I find driving in New York to be far worse. There are a lot more lights, and way too many cars.

totally agree, and i found that drivers are even worse too. especially those taxi drivers.

[spicytimothy]

I totally agree... even tho i don't drive in Hong Kong, I always sit at the front of the bus (upper deck) and my road rage from LA carries over... Hong Kong has some REALLY TRULY dumbass drivers... especially those moms that drives a huge Lexus or bmw and don't know how to navigate... UGH. annoyance.

[♣628.finst]

Originally Posted by hkskyline

I find driving in New York to be far worse. There are a lot more lights, and way too many cars.

Very true. NYC is really a nightmare for driving, their public transport is even worse, indeed.

While Hong Kong's traffic problem is generally minor compared with other world cities, it is far from perfect. Congested traffic is the most major concern, as well as bad driving culture. Actually the problem is minor. However, I still think the driving culture is, quite rude by Canadian standard.

Speeding in urban roads are very rare, despite the speed limit is very strict due to large amount of traffic. Anyhow, to drive relatively fast and safe in most of Hong Kong is practically impossible.

[♣628.finst]

Originally Posted by spicytimothy

I totally agree... even tho i don't drive in Hong Kong, I always sit at the front of the bus (upper deck) and my road rage from LA carries over... Hong Kong has some REALLY TRULY dumbass drivers... especially those moms that drives a huge Lexus or bmw and don't know how to navigate... UGH. annoyance.

I think that would be apparent in Hong Kong because most roads are quite narrow and the traffic is large. While in suburban LA you probably have a rather smooth drive easily without much problems. It is quite scary because we are not accustomed to such scenario. Instead, most Hong Kong drivers seem unaware of "road rage" culture, and they often slow down rather abruptly.

[Rachmaninov]

In fact, I would say I'm amazed at how disciplined we already are and how the traffic is relatively smooth compared to other large cities, considering the fact that we have the highest traffic density in the world.

[hkskyline]

Originally Posted by Xäntårx

Very true. NYC is really a nightmare for driving, their public transport is even worse, indeed.

While Hong Kong's traffic problem is generally minor compared with other world cities, it is far from perfect. Congested traffic is the most major concern, as well as bad driving culture. Actually the problem is minor. However, I still think the driving culture is, quite rude by Canadian standard.

Speeding in urban roads are very rare, despite the speed limit is very strict due to large amount of traffic. Anyhow, to drive relatively fast and safe in most of Hong Kong is practically impossible.

Well, I have driven in Toronto before, and there are far more incidents of road rage there than in Hong Kong. Driving is not a common thing to do for the average HK person, so that reduces the road rage pressure significantly. People don't tend to drive to work, to get groceries, or to get their everyday needs. On the other hand, while roads in Canada are wider and more plentiful, the cities are spread out a lot more, so people spend a lot more time in the car.

Taxis and minibuses are notorious for their driving. They weave and cut in and somehow they can do it. But then, they drive for a living so they're used to it, like in other cities.

In a fast-paced and dense city like Hong Kong, people are a lot more to-the-point and rude than in a more laid-back society. So I am not surprised at all that the driving culture is not as good. London, on the other hand, gave me a fairly good impression though. New York is more or less a worse case of Hong Kong. Bangkok traffic was just awful.

[Skybean]

Maybe rude compared to *most* Canadian cities because the fact is that there is not really too much traffic. I would put Toronto behind HK. If you drive east through Mississauga towards Toronto on workdays at rush hour there will ALWAYS be a traffic jam and this is with all 16 lanes of traffic. I constantly see people giving the middle finger or yelling through the windshield. I was driving a few days ago and this guy in a van swerved into my lane to pass a stopping bus.. if I didn't have a shoulder lane to move into, he would have crashed into me for sure. Traffic in Toronto just bad.

Also, I think that the licensing in HK is much harder than anywhere in Canada. Spaces are tighter and there are more obstacles. If you want to see crazy driving, consider visiting some cities in Mainland China - where two cars driving on the same lane in opposite directions is not out of the question

[Manila-X]

Originally Posted by Xäntårx

Well I had a very bad impresssion about local young "gwailo", though. Most of them are spoiled and rude. Yes, In fact those kids are mostly from wealthy families, and they are arrogant because they consider themselves "superior" from local population--- which is not true at all. They are anyhow ignorant kids, more so than ours.

Actually not wealthy families but the parents of these American/European/Australian youths in HK are expats where the companies they work pay for their home, their kid's education, etc.

And yes they have a "superior" thats why they always get in a beat down especially with my friends.

I have never been to Canada but driving in NY is crazy and we always get stuck in traffic especially approaching the Lincoln tunnel to NJ.

[Magic Night]

I do find Canadian drivers more considerate than hk drivers, my bro in hk always gets honked for minor stuff.