My first and most memorable visit to China was way back in 1982. What a refreshing change Beijing was at that time compared to London, Los Angeles or Leeuwarden.

Wide avenues and ring roads encircled the capital city, frequented only by taxis and black official limousines with not a private car in sight. In fact, it was then common not to observe a single car on some inner city roads for long periods of time.

Those were, indeed, the days.

Gradually, as China opened up and more money found its way into private pockets, the odd private jalopy hit the road, followed by more of the same and soon, owning a personal motor car became a status symbol of great proportions and the envy of many.

In fact, Deng Xiaoping’s pronouncement that by 2010 or thereabouts every Chinese family should possess at least one motor car was welcomed with universal acclaim by most and received with horror by yours truly.

Where to park all those cars, as most residential areas had been planned with bomb shelters in the basements. NOT car parks and in the commercial districts, few buildings featured “in house?parking. Besides, the 1982 wide and virtually careless avenues and ring roads would be choked with traffic before one could say “Kia Ora?

Sadly, my prophecy materialized and, these days, driving in Beijing is close to outright purgatory.

Many a trip from south to north Beijing might be completed in first, or at best in second gear with frequent standstills and frustrated motorists nursing their left-leg-cramped-muscles syndrome from incessant declutching of the drive train.

Despite these obvious frustrations, I found Beijing drivers much more disciplined than their Shanghai brethren.

In Beijing the sounding of car horns is the exception, rather than the rule while Shanghainese seem to hardly ever take their hand off the klaxon button. Long and menacing horn blasts are the audible manifestation of the annoyance of impatient Shanghai car drivers and most Shanghai bus drivers seem to achieve orgasmic pleasures from blasting their vehicle horn at anything that moves or is stationary.

Luckily, most police cars now use flashing lights only, even during the day.

The fire brigade and ambulances, however, appear to insist on using their sirens which really have no measurable effect except waking up and annoying every household within a 2 km radius.

The novelty of car alarms has worn off so few people take any notice of a wailing car alarm and presumably, thieves could proceed at leisure as no one seems to notice or care.

The car alarm button on the key ring of the new and proud Shanghai car owner is what the picture of a 2 metre carp is to a hobbyist fisherman.

And how they make use of it! After they have parked their prized possession, the anti-theft siren is sounded at as many decibels as an Airbus taking-off and again on return. The eardrums of hapless bystanders are shattered as the new motorist gently massages his key ring alarm button, causing him to glow with pride when onlookers are made aware that he is the proud owner of this gleaming assemblage of German or Chinese technology, as the case may be.

I fully appreciate the joy of owning a first ever car for Mr and Ms. Average Chinese ?but does it make sense?

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