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Beijing Bike Riding Tips and Safety

General Comments on Traffic in China

  • Expect heavy traffic and long lasting traffic jams especially in down town or on ring roads

  • Expect any kind of vehicle to come from any direction at any place and any point in time. This may even be against traffic rules

  • Expect vehicles to always turn right on red at a traffic light because this is actually the general Chinese traffic rule

  • Expect vehicles to turn without blinking or signaling

  • Expect pedestrians to jump onto any kind of road without looking and even carrying a child or other valuable things

  • Expect no motorcycles or scooters but a huge number of electric bicycles

  • Expect many bike lanes but not too many cyclists

  • Expect cars to drive in the bike lanes, park in th bike lanes and suddenly pull into the bike lanes without any warning

  • Expect buses to cut you off at bus stations

  • Expect most cyclists, e-bikers, motorcycles and even cars, taxis, buses and trucks to drive at night without lights

  • Expect the honking of horns to be a friendly way to make you know that they are there. It is usually genuinely non-aggressive

  • Expect the dominant person to have the right of way

  • Expect that half of all car drivers (2 million car drivers in Beijing) have their drivers license for 2 or less years and therefore are not experienced drivers

  • Expect most of the cars drivers to be very protective of their cars, so they get mad and fear there might be a tiny little scratch somewhere even though you cannot see it

  • Expect people driving vehicles to be only looking what is in front of them and not caring what is behind them, e.g. a car might suddenly make a full stop or an unexpected turn

  • Expect people to be writing text messages or on intense phone calls without hands free devices while driving vehicles or riding bikes

  • Expect some Chinese cyclists to cycle at amazingly slow speeds and some electric bikes to be whizzing past at very high speeds

  • Expect nobody to be wearing cycling helmets

  • Expect heavy trucks in Beijing city only between 10pm and 6am

  • Expect passengers in taxis to not be able to get out from the door behind the driver as it is generally locked

  • Expect cyclists in summer to stop even very far ahead of a red traffic light in search for patch of shade

 

Basic Cycling Tips

  • Before cycling anywhere make sure your bike is fully functional. Especially check that there is air in the tires, the saddle is in the correct height and fixed, the handlebar is tight and can steer the wheel, the wheels are tightly connected to the frame, the cranks are not loose, the brakes are working

  • Understand how long it takes you to stop your bike. Get a feeling of the brakes so that you are prepared for emergency stops in traffic

  • Understand traffic flow (please read the section “General Comments on Traffic in China”) and then watch traffic for yourself before cycling

  • Look everywhere, have your eyes in all directions. Be completely aware of traffic in all directions surrounding you.

  • Listen to know what is behind you

  • Look in the rear view mirror of parked cars for potential drivers that might accidentally open the driver's door while you are passing

  • Look drivers in the eye to show them what you are doing

  • If you have the feeling others are not aware that you are cycling where you are, then warn people with your voice or tap on cars/taxis to make them notice you

  • Understand different road types and their bike lanes as well as traffic conditions. Some streets might be better for cycling only at some hours per day. This depends also on your cycling speed. Some wide streets with bike lanes are more dangerous to cycle on than smaller roads with no separate bike lane

  • Ride at moderate speed. Remember the faster you ride the harder will be any hit and possible injury in the unlikely case of an accident or crash

  • Watch out for wobbly cyclists at slow speed or cycling with a gas bottle on one side of the bike

  • Do not ride the wrong way in the bike lane

  • Wear a helmet

  • If the pollution is strong we recommend to wear a proper anti-pollution mask

  • Have lights so other can see you at night

  • Have fun cycling and smile to other cyclists

 

Tips for the Advanced Rider

Please make sure you have read the general comments and the basic tips before reading this section. This section is specifically intended for an advanced rider in Beijing.

  • The Chinese traffic rules are similar to most countries traffic rules. So of course a driver turning right should yield to pedestrians and cyclists especially if they have a green light. Also at pedestrian crossings marked with zebra painting drivers should stop and let pedestrians and cyclists cross

  • Use your right of way. Be dominant. Look the drivers deep into their eyes and signal them that you will not let them cut in front of you if you have the right of way. The more cyclists enforce this the more the drivers will take care

  • If you cycle a similar speed as cars it might be safer to ride in the car lane rather than in the car lane

  • Remember that a majority of drivers expect you to be riding slow. When they see a cyclist they are not yet used to high speeds so a car driver might look at you, see you and still turn right in front of you afterwards saying that you were riding too fast (as long as you are riding within the speed limit you are fine)

  • If you are cycling in a bike lane and a car that is trying to avoid traffic jam is driving illegally in the bike lane is honking at you either reduce your speed and cycle at the center of the bike lane or take a picture of him

  • If you see drivers doing dangerous things, like speeding in the reverse direction in a bike lane while smoking and holding a mobile phone in the other hand then try to take a picture or video clip.