Guest Post by Stella:
Driving in Manila is not for the faint of heart. Traffic rules are non-existent. Our first couple of days we sat in the backseat watching in awe as my sister-in-law navigated her way through narrow streets in the city. But it seems that the streets are not narrow enough for all vehicles. Two lane roads become four as every car tries to get ahead of the other cars in front of them. Driving in-between the lines is a sure fire way of letting the vehicle behind you to squeeze in next to you and the car on either of your side. Cars come within inches of each other. If I open my window, it would feel like I am sitting next to the other driver of the car. If it is a bus or a truck, that metal wall seems like a part of the window. I noticed a metal bat in between the seats of our car and asked about the presence of the said item. My sister said you sometimes need it to tap on the side of bigger vehicles such as a bus or truck to let them know they are too close in our two inch comfort space. There is a plethora of horn-blowing from all over the place. Drivers blow their horns to let people know they are driving too slow and needs to speed up or move over. They blow it when passing on the lane to make sure the car in the next lane will know not to change lanes. Horns are blown at the stoplight to tell the driver in front of you that the light will be turning green in a few seconds and to make sure he makes it to second gear in the next nano second the light turns green. They blow the horn to let other drivers know that there is no intention on their part to let the other cars through. They blow it because or irritation, frustration, or probably just because they have a working car horn.
Every traffic rule I have known driving in the US is considered optional in Manila. You may use turn signals but it does not guarantee that anyone will let you in the lane. Lines in the road are guides. You can drive on the line which can guarantee a good spot to work your way between cars in both lanes. Solid lines and dotted lines rule are ignored. To alleviate traffic during rush hours, the overflow rules are used. One lane coming from the other direction which is considered low traffic use are switch over to the heavy traffic side. I am still not sure how they determine when is the appropriate time to switch over. It seems that it happens anytime of the day. Overtaking is done using the lane from the opposite direction or using the right lane reserved for either parking or pedestrians. There seems to be no concern whether their car would block oncoming traffic or inching their vehicle through crowds of people waiting to cross or grab the local public transportation.
Pedestrian safety is of no concern to the local driver. Their job is to make sure they don't get run over while trying to get to the other side. Some try to use the crosswalk but drivers see the opportunity to get further ahead. There is no slowing down as the driver speeds through between pedestrians. Stopping to let them through may cost them a spot up ahead as everyone tries to go for the only open area in the street. People don't seemed faze by the lack of courtesy. They exude a face determination as they walk across. A slight hint of hesitance may leave you stuck standing in the middle of the road like the grandma we saw yesterday. Hair blowing from the wind caused by the big buses passing within inches of her back, she longingly looked for a driver willing to stop so she can continue on crossing. There was no sense of worry in her face as we watched her cross the rest of the way. Crossing in groups is a good strategy and walking in a diagonal direction is effective in avoiding cars and getting to a point on the other side faster.
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