CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO VIEW THE VIDEO FROM THE STREETS OF HANOI!
How many are sold in one year in Vietnam? 7 - 8 million per year
How many people can fit on one scooter? I saw mostly single rider scooters, however sometimes two people, at times three people - a couple and their young child, sometimes four people - couple and two children, but one time I saw 5 people on one scooter which reminded me of the acrobat show I saw in Hanoi that held 12 women on one bicycle.
Cargo they carry: anything that can be balanced by the driver or the rider - I saw a couch and television on one, 500 pounds of cement on another, pipes, ladders, you name it.
What does the rider/driver wear? Comfortable clothes for the hot daytime, sometimes a helmet, sometimes a breathing mask, at times a riding suit that covers the head, body and hands. When it rains, I saw ponchos coming out of no where - there are ponchos that are made for two people. Footwear is optional, although I did see everything from sandals to high heeled pumps on several business women.
How do they get gas? They get in a long line at the gas station, that moves along very quickly.
What rules of the road do they follow? Very simply, they are bigger than a pedestrian, so they hold the power. However, they must yield to anything larger than they are. I saw two mishaps. They brush themselves off and move on.
Where are all these scooters going? There seems to be millions of them parked at or near places of business in Hanoi. And there seems to be millions of them riding the streets. However, I do not know exactly where they are coming from as I never followed one from point to point. They just seem to appear everywhere when the sun comes up.
Anything else you noticed about scooters? The drivers were looking at me looking at them. They appear very friendly, most of the time waving hello. They do not appear to be in a rush, although they rarely stop for anything even if they have to move laterally in order to avoid obstacles. Once you stop, someone will hit you because no one else stops. Watching them ride is like watching a video game where the object is to meander through traffic without stopping, and without getting killed. Still, I couldn't help wanting to know what it would be like to ride one. The closest I came was to ride in the bicycle rickshaw.
Reminds me of when we were in Europe. Everyone rode a bike everywhere carrying everything, wearing whatever, and they were definitely the ones with the power of the road!
ReplyDelete