Sidewalks for Motorcycles

Sometimes when I walk on the sidewalks of Cambridge and a bike whisks past me, I grimace and think about pointing to the clearly demarcated No Bikes symbol with a line slashed through the circle etched on the pristine sidewalk beneath them. I usually think: “They could have hit me! What were they thinking? Bikes should be ridden on the road. Sidewalks are for pedestrians.” This seems straightforward, consistent, and simple. Enter: Ho Chi Minh City. Roads and sidewalks are for motorcycles, and thousands of them. For every one car on the road there were about 50 motorcycles surrounding it on every side. When the road became too congested with motorcycles and cars, motorcyclists simply hopped onto the sidewalk and sped away. I remarked in Cambodia about the high number of motorcycles on the road and Daniel laughed and told me to wait to make motorcycle judgments until we reached Vietnam. He was (unfortunately) correct. The motorcyclists in Cambodia were tame compared to Vietnam. At first I thought it was a passing time of day in a neighborhood or specific segment of the city, but, alas, the put-put-put of the motorcycles can be heard at all times of day and night. Surprisingly, over a matter of days, I went from utter fear of losing a toe or getting concussed on the sidewalk to enough confidence that I crossed a four-lane road by myself.

After accepting the motorcycles as a matter of life in the city, I began to admire them and see the differences among motorists instead of a sea of horns, lights and gasoline. Some women wore modesty skirts that Velcro-ed in the back over their short skirts or dresses while puttering off on their motorbikes. The masks some motorists wore covering their mouths and noses came in all shapes and designs. Some were floral, plaid, solid or Hello Kitty inspired. The masks wrapped around some bikers' entire necks (my dad would have loved the sun protection they offered) and others winged out stopping the wind from hitting the bikers’ ears. Many were sturdy and others disposable almost taking the form of operating room gear. I was entranced. I wanted a mask! I was not sure if I wanted a mask as a fashion statement of sorts or to actually protect my lungs. Daniel rolled his eyes at my plan to buy a mask, and I weighed the potential exposure risks and the minimal duration of exposure and decided I agreed with him.

However, once we reached the relaxed beach town of Nha Trang, I caved in and bought a...Despicable Me mask! I love it. I have only worn it a handful of times, and realistically, it is more of a fashion statement than health precaution. While I am pretty sure it makes me look even crazier walking the streets like a skittish toddler, I still love it.

I started to make a running list of what I saw occurring on sidewalks in Vietnam. Sidewalks are for: seating, traffic evasion, garbage disposal, store extenders, eating meals and snacks, drinking, gossiping, peeing, and cooking. I will continue to keep a list if I see more ‘activities’ on the multi-use sidewalks, but in the meantime they are just fascinating to observe.

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Matt and Larissa, this is a sidewalk haiku just for YOU!

Sidewalks are for, yes...
Parking, driving, and playgrounds
Puddle! Children! Bike!