Run #23: Tragedy on the Street

Spring in Shanghai can be rather pleasant, but only after the rain finally stops and the sun finally gets a chance to start warming up the budding trees and blooming flowers.  Fortunately, this morning the rain slowed to a trickle and didn't hinder my run at all.

However, I encountered a most shocking tragedy on the sidewalk in the first mile of my run:

Imagine the horror: an innocent trash can brutally knocked down, rendered useless in its overturned state.  These trash receptacles are quite possibly one of the finest, albeit overlooked, features of this great city.  They most likely were installed in preparation for Expo 2010, and since then have most certainly received their fair share of soda cans, cigarette butts, and dumpling boxes.  It's just unthinkable that someone could be so careless and cruel, that they could commit such a senseless act of violence.  Why knock over a defenseless trash can when there are plenty of other targets in the street like babies in strollers, children nestled on scooters, or old ladies hobbling with canes - why??  Through rain and snow, smog and sun, these soldiers of cleanliness stand erect ready to receive any kind of garbage, solid or liquid, putrid and foul, day in and day out.  It is simply incomprehensible that anyone could abuse a public figure in such a violent way.

Anyway, after I recovered from my devastation over the trash can I continued for a most lovely run through our suburban area, right past my dear school.  Let me just say that "it's what's on the inside that counts."

Continuing along the busy roads I came across two other important features of Shanghai streets: one is the biggest joke and the other is the biggest threat.  In most other cities a pedestrian crossing (or zebra crossing for those who think that anything with black and white stripes must be a zebra) evokes a sense of safety, or at least a sensible path with minimal danger for anyone wishing to cross the street when the green man indicates it's the right time.  Hah!!  In Shanghai this is just another splash of wasted paint ignored by all, just like the lane stripes and turn arrows.

And this, the city bus.  Again, in other cities this is a symbol of affordable public transit.  In Shanghai it is a symbol of road rage, driver arrogance, and universal impatience.  It essentially turns everything on the road into a potential target; the only safe place is inside the bus itself (assuming the driver is not texting while driving).  These buses accelerate at red lights, blare their horns at previously mentioned strollers, scooters, and grandmas, and swerve through traffic as if they're gunning for the checkered flag in a Formula 1 race.  Ever since my near-death experience with a city bus on the Bund back in 2008 I've learned to check carefully for the green monsters with every step I take.  I've even taught my Toddlers that "red means stop, green means go, unless you're a Shanghai bus and then you can do whatever you want, so if you're just walking you better watch out."

Amazingly, I did not have any close encounters of the city bus kind, and then I crossed a new bridge near the end of my run.  Ahhh, what a glorious view of the uncharacteristically sensible traffic flow on the Middle Ring Road.

The Fine Print

Date:  3/24/13  Time:  7:50 am    Location:  Shanghai, PRC

Time: 1:04:12    Distance:  6.0 mi    Pace: 10:35

Music: Running Mix