A nightmare on Beijing streets

Another really f*cked up story...

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Originally Posted by euphonius

[...]He's a felon, recently released from prison. [...].

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Yea we tend to forget, from our idyllically safe foreign point of view, that real criminals even exist.

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Now if it's nice not to generalize and think that all drivers would enjoy to pass 2 wheelers and bystanders from above, only criminals, my ex GF driving her WV Polo was confessing me a few days back she wanted to buy a jeep to do just that. She's a nice person, she wouldn't do it... But she thinks of it.

I think if we're as fragile as ever, we're less and less popular.

I would bet it's because of all of them electric and pedal bicycles that burn though every red light and drive through all streets, ways and sidewalks upside down and inside out, but also them locals moto drivers who, if they actually prove their skills by still being alive, spit on each and every traffic rule..

But hey, every time i give a thumbs down, a fake kick, or raise a fist, i contribute...

I think it's doable to get 4 wheelers to see us in a brighter light, sure not all but we can change some.

A little thumbs up here, a little raised palm + smile there, it all depends in what mood we are when we throw one leg over the bike...

Anyways...

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Originally Posted by braillce

Another really f*cked up story...



Yea we tend to forget, from our idyllically safe foreign point of view, that real criminals even exist.

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Now if it's nice not to generalize and think that all drivers would enjoy to pass 2 wheelers and bystanders from above, only criminals, my ex GF driving her WV Polo was confessing me a few days back she wanted to buy a jeep to do just that. She's a nice person, she wouldn't do it... But she thinks of it.

I think if we're as fragile as ever, we're less and less popular.

I would bet it's because of all of them electric and pedal bicycles that burn though every red light and drive through all streets, ways and sidewalks upside down and inside out, but also them locals moto drivers who, if they actually prove their skills by still being alive, spit on each and every traffic rule..

But hey, every time i give a thumbs down, a fake kick, or raise a fist, i contribute...

I think it's doable to get 4 wheelers to see us in a brighter light, sure not all but we can change some.

A little thumbs up here, a little raised palm + smile there, it all depends in what mood we are when we throw one leg over the bike...

Anyways...

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Guys, stay cool!

Otherwise stay home, put your head under a pillow. Not everybody is bad outside

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Originally Posted by SabineHartmann

Not everybody is bad outside

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TRUE!

but it doesn't mean you can't express your thoughts and feelings as your therapy after dealing an ordeal on the road.:taz:
I agree with braillce, i simple gesture/reminder will educate those incompetent/cocky drivers to be more responsible and treat all motorist equally.

On my way home tonight a black BMW just cut me from the right side while running more than the speed limit. It came at me from the blind side and almost didn't see the SUV until it passed and swerved in my lane. I was stunned and reaction less for a while until i stop in the intersection. When i got home and saw my gf reading her book peacefully i decide not to tell her, i was thinking there's no need for her to know since i got home in one piece anyway and knowing MCM"ers would be a better listener. :icon10:

i got literally pushed off the road sunday night.... hit dirt on the side and ran into a retainer pretty much head on.... bike got banged up pretty bad .... poor little Benelli ..... black bmw ... no plates ... just kept going .. i know he came at me from behind was in the other lane as i heard him revving his engine and i had just checked my blind spot.... suddenly i felt the bump and i was sliding towards the wall.... my friend behind me freaked out..... i immediately jumped to my feet did i quick inventory of myself.... no blood or bones sticking out.... bike was off.... leaking fluid so stepped back.... my friend was just staring.... he could not believe i was alive..... checked GPS ..... called police...... wife ..... sent GPS INFO VIA WECHAT and sms..... did a quick inventory again..... just some swelling at the knee..... helmet had a good ding in it.... my buddy came back.... the car took off on 4th ring.....no plates black unbadged bmw ..... he told me the way my body and head hit the wall he thought i was dead.... 3 days later.... a little pain but feeling much better.... just waiting to get my bike fixed ..... if it can be.... i just want to get back on my bike and carry on.... the driver...just some animal i am sure.... wear your gear .... drive safe.
PS... doctor said my working out and muscle structure probably saved my life..... be careful out there....
police were not really interested until my wife called her friend at PSB.... now it is a big deal.... insurance company is giving the run around too.

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Originally Posted by Kernalpanx

i got literally pushed off the road sunday night.... hit dirt on the side and ran into a retainer pretty much head on.... [...]be careful out there....[...].

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Dude...

Sorry to hear u went down, but glad u made it back up instantly, and in a single piece, indeed ur limbs & head seem solidly attached to ur trunk...

Pity for ur bike tho.

I hardly understand why authorities let cars without plates circulate in the 1st place.

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Originally Posted by braillce

I hardly understand why authorities let cars without plates circulate in the 1st place.

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That will only be getting worse, with the crack-down (well, if you believe it) on military plates ....

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Originally Posted by Kernalpanx

poor little Benelli ..... black bmw ... no plates ... just kept going ..

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it's a clear case of hit and run and the driver is facing 7 year imprisonment or more( if he/she get caught) is there any traffic camera when it happened?

Glad your ok man and survived this horrific accident, :thumbsup:

is there anyone else had a close encounter with a mysterious black bmw out there? :bling:

seems idiots are all way around these days....
Yesterday evening I did farewell a friend at his hotel and the bike was standing on the ramp but with enough space to pass by.
Then we got aggressively approached by some half drunken guys in a Audi just stopped behind us and complaining we block their way.
I am really wondering when we will hear about the first traffic gun fight or deadly ending knife attacks.

Benelli engineer is telling me 2 monthes to fix my bike because the frame needs to be replaced. 1 month to build the frame and 1 month to rebuild the bike ..... Plus it will cost at least 10000 rmb ..... When S8 got rear ended in took 7 days ..... Just seems like a crazy amount of time anything goes wrong with a Benelli in China .... My friend had to wait 3 weeks for a new engine. With no dealer support and no training to the reseller .... Parts unavailable .... No customer service or support ...... Great fun bike to ride .... But seriously ..... Bite the bullet and buy something else new ... I can get 3500 for the engine ..... Everything else is pretty much toast.

Man...

I feel u.

They say "at least" 10K, if u go for the repairs, make sure u ask for a definitive quote...

For a long time I thought of getting a benelli, but this ain't the 1st comment of this type regarding customer support.

I think I'll just keep fixing my laborious Regal Raptor till the engine falls off like the rest.

Anyways, hope u can get back on wheels soon, somehow.

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Originally Posted by Kernalpanx

Benelli engineer is telling me 2 monthes to fix my bike because the frame needs to be replaced. 1 month to build the frame and 1 month to rebuild the bike ..... Plus it will cost at least 10000 rmb ..... When S8 got rear ended in took 7 days ..... Just seems like a crazy amount of time anything goes wrong with a Benelli in China .... My friend had to wait 3 weeks for a new engine. With no dealer support and no training to the reseller .... Parts unavailable .... No customer service or support ...... Great fun bike to ride .... But seriously ..... Bite the bullet and buy something else new ... I can get 3500 for the engine ..... Everything else is pretty much toast.

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Hi Kernalpank

Why dont you have a go your self buy all the bits of Taobao . should not take longer then a week and could be fun and will be a lot cheaper to do if you was near me i would lend a hand .....maybe other menbers on here who are near you could help ??? dont like to see this happen to you after what you went throu....

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Originally Posted by Kernalpanx

Benelli engineer is telling me 2 monthes to fix my bike because the frame needs to be replaced. 1 month to build the frame and 1 month to rebuild the bike ..... Everything else is pretty much toast.

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In itself, a month for a new frame and its corresponding frame number is not so strange.
Frames will not be an item to be on stock for any manufacturer, and certainly not with your frame number already stamped in it. Getting these original and legal items arranged outside the normal production process will take time for every manufacturer, in China or abroad.

However, from a technical point of view, you should serious consider what to do.
If you bike is pretty much toast, rebuilding it in parts should be getting you much over 10.000 rmb, and then you got to doubt how well the whole job is done. Shortcuts are always taken, and in China they will only replace the parts which are really, really damaged. You still might end up with a patched up, and possibly unsafe bike.

Be very careful there, I have seen too many locally patched up bikes.
Great if you can buy them cheap and fix them by yourself, not great at all if you got to ride them unfixed.

Good luck with it!

E.

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Originally Posted by 998S

In itself, a month for a new frame and its corresponding frame number is not so strange.
Frames will not be an item to be on stock for any manufacturer, and certainly not with your frame number already stamped in it. Getting these original and legal items arranged outside the normal production process will take time for every manufacturer, in China or abroad.

However, from a technical point of view, you should serious consider what to do.
If you bike is pretty much toast, rebuilding it in parts should be getting you much over 10.000 rmb, and then you got to doubt how well the whole job is done. Shortcuts are always taken, and in China they will only replace the parts which are really, really damaged. You still might end up with a patched up, and possibly unsafe bike.

Be very careful there, I have seen too many locally patched up bikes.
Great if you can buy them cheap and fix them by yourself, not great at all if you got to ride them unfixed.

Good luck with it!

E.

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My same thoughts exactly.
One thing I did forget about was the frame number .... That makes sense more so now.
I am waiting for a complete part list. Benelli is saying at most 10000 to fix. I am thinking repair and at the same time I will look for another scooter. I just wish there was a way to get a legal Japanese Maxi Scooter in China.

Peugeot is importing a 200cc (19hp) from France for 27K since a couple months.

http://www.peugeotscooters.com.cn/pr...ductId=50.html

I think that's the best registrable scoot one can get in SH (that isn't made in China).

I'm seriously considering it.

Closer from a Japanese Maxi there's a 500cc scoot on the website also but I don't think they can import it, didn't ask tho.

Really sorry to hear about the various experiences people have been having. Sad. The only good thing is that there were not any serious injuries.

Beijing TV (BTV) has a daily traffic show where they show all the blood & guts accidents (naturally, it airs at dinner time). Over the past few weeks, there has been discussion of the no plates / fake plates issue. Based on traffic camera infractions data, it is estimated that at least 1 in 5 expensive vehicles in Beijing are running around with fake plates - it is almost certainly a stolen vehicle that has fake plates on it (someone once offered me a nice Jag for 100K; the Dongbei "owner" claimed he had lost the paperwork).

Also, because of the plate restrictions inside Beijing, people with legal cars & legal plates (albeit from other provinces) have begun removing their plates. Out of province plates are very common now (to get around the plate lottery), but the cameras tag a 100 rmb fine for out-of-province plates each morning & night rush hour - that is 1,000 rmb/week for a commuter. If, by chance, one gets stopped & fined for no plates, it is a comparatively smaller penalty.

So, what we have is a bunch of cars that can do hit & runs with relative impunity. The traffic cams are picking up a number of hit & runs of cars with missing/fake plates. When these "ùnaccountable" cars are being driven by hotheads with a hate for motorcyclists, you end up with a dangerous mix.

Sigh, all that is missing is a bunch of "good ole boys" from the burbs in their F350s heading home from the KTVs with their sword collection hanging in the rear window gun rack, a pair of Tibetan Mastiffs in the bed, and fake plates (why not make them military, just for the hell of it). It will come ... I have noticed an increasing number of massive pickups on Beijing streets ... yeah, an F350 with duals - the perfect vehicle for Beijing. Provides insight into the "owner's" mentality (or penis size).

On another note ... I had purchased a Nolan N-44 after trying on many helmets and felt fit was best ... The Schuberth was second best, but I could get 2.5 Nolan's in Beijing for the price of the Schuberth.
My helmet had a pretty big ding in it .... I felt nothing. After inspecting it I found the inner shell was visually intact even though the outer was not. The other thing was the neck roll clasps had broken but not unlodged.
I have a round head and the N44 fit me well in a XXL .... In Schuberth I needed a XXXL .
As well the N44 had very good air flow with a very large view.
I would definitely buy again.
I was not sure where to post this little tidbit.

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Originally Posted by Lao Jia Hou

Really sorry to hear about the various experiences people have been having. Sad. The only good thing is that there were not any serious injuries.

Beijing TV (BTV) has a daily traffic show where they show all the blood & guts accidents (naturally, it airs at dinner time). Over the past few weeks, there has been discussion of the no plates / fake plates issue. Based on traffic camera infractions data, it is estimated that at least 1 in 5 expensive vehicles in Beijing are running around with fake plates - it is almost certainly a stolen vehicle that has fake plates on it (someone once offered me a nice Jag for 100K; the Dongbei "owner" claimed he had lost the paperwork).

Also, because of the plate restrictions inside Beijing, people with legal cars & legal plates (albeit from other provinces) have begun removing their plates. Out of province plates are very common now (to get around the plate lottery), but the cameras tag a 100 rmb fine for out-of-province plates each morning & night rush hour - that is 1,000 rmb/week for a commuter. If, by chance, one gets stopped & fined for no plates, it is a comparatively smaller penalty.

So, what we have is a bunch of cars that can do hit & runs with relative impunity. The traffic cams are picking up a number of hit & runs of cars with missing/fake plates. When these "ùnaccountable" cars are being driven by hotheads with a hate for motorcyclists, you end up with a dangerous mix.

Sigh, all that is missing is a bunch of "good ole boys" from the burbs in their F350s heading home from the KTVs with their sword collection hanging in the rear window gun rack, a pair of Tibetan Mastiffs in the bed, and fake plates (why not make them military, just for the hell of it). It will come ... I have noticed an increasing number of massive pickups on Beijing streets ... yeah, an F350 with duals - the perfect vehicle for Beijing. Provides insight into the "owner's" mentality (or penis size).

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I have noticed a fully decked out Raptor at the silk market for ages with Hebei plates....

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Originally Posted by Lao Jia Hou

[...] Beijing TV (BTV) has a daily traffic show where they show all the blood & guts accidents (naturally, it airs at dinner time). Over the past few weeks, there has been discussion of the no plates / fake plates issue. [...]
Also, because of the plate restrictions inside Beijing, people with legal cars & legal plates (albeit from other provinces) have begun removing their plates. Out of province plates are very common now (to get around the plate lottery), but the cameras tag a 100 rmb fine for out-of-province plates each morning & night rush hour - that is 1,000 rmb/week for a commuter. If, by chance, one gets stopped & fined for no plates, it is a comparatively smaller penalty.

So, what we have is a bunch of cars that can do hit & runs with relative impunity. The traffic cams are picking up a number of hit & runs of cars with missing/fake plates.[...]

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Everyone blames isolated crazy drivers while the law seems like doing a good job at enforcing harder penalties like 2000 RMB + 2 weeks jail. But I feel like such a small penalty for being invisible to the law is actually allowing anyone to become a recidivist murderer for little risk.

In the meantime traffic is improved by the tragic disappearance of a few pedestrians and 2 wheelers, and chiefly by the "educational" aspect this arbitrary & broadcasted goring of their own has on the surviving ones.

I wonder what fat brother really thinks of current events.

Good news! There has been a 393% decrease in Dangerous Driving cases in Beijing's Haidian District ...

The number of dangerous driving cases dropped significantly since the crime was written into Chinese Criminal Law in 2011, Beijing Haidian District People's Court said on Monday.

From January to June, the court has heard 27 cases of dangerous driving, a 393 percent decrease year-on-year, according to the latest statistic provided by the court.

In 2011, legislators lengthened the punishment for driving dangerously, such as speeding or drunken driving, from 15 days to up to six months in detention, in an effort to alert residents and avoid traffic tragedies, the court said.

But Ma Lin, judge of the court, said some of those jailed for dangerous driving committed the crime on purpose or had a momentary lapse in judgment due to alcohol consumption, and suggested that friends and restaurants promote sober driving.

The court joined the crime faculty under the People's Public Security University of China on Monday, aiming to combine judicial theory with practices.

Wow! The People's Public Security University of China must teach a type of new math in its judicial theory program. I'm old school, and was taught that a percentage decline was kinda limited to a maximum of 100%. Learn something new every day!

Source: Beijing TMB website

Hilarious. And not only is the math troubling, I'd say it's naive to assume that because the number of cases has fallen, the prevalence of dangerous driving has also fallen. Maybe fewer dangerous drivers are getting caught. Maybe the cops are spending all their time harassing motorcyclists.

I would assume based on the content as it is written there were 106 incidents in 2011 and then
27 events for this half year. Representing roughly 79 less events since 2011. The number of incidents have been reduced, since the enactment of the law, by roughly 75%.


Which also is -392% of 27 as a percentage of 106, percentages of changes can be negative, just not when counting physical events. Percentages can be negative, events can be negative, just not when counting occurrences as physical events, unless as Boolean data and it is not the case here, in the case of Boolean data a negative event is a false opposed to being a true. In that case, it be a measurement of the total population, that being not involved in an incident or involved in an incident, however it still would not be appropriate to represent changes as negative percentages, that is only acceptable when recording losses in tangible units of measure or objects.


Somebody may have been instructed to stretch or embellish, because the change is hardly significant, it would be if it was a change in number of fatalities, but it is only about getting a ticket and with that is subjectivity, that being enforcement may be avoiding issuing the ticket with such a high level of punishment and likely drivers are being now sighted with lesser offenses.


In other words it is kind of sort of propaganda.

China media searches for reasons behind a rash of violence


Sunday, 04 August, 2013, 12:00am
Comment›Insight & Opinion
WHAT THE MAINLAND MEDIA SAY
Mandy Zuo mandy.zuo@scmp.com
Strong-arm tactics by officials seen as one reason why people are turning to violence as the first rather than the last resort
A mother, pushing a shopping cart with her daughter asleep inside, unknowingly blocks a car from parking in Beijing. One of the two men inside gets out, seizes the girl, and throws her violently to the ground, killing her.


A man in Heilongjiang sets fire to the nursing home where he was a resident, suspecting someone had stolen 200 yuan (HK$250) from him. He dies, along with 10 others, in the ensuing blaze.


In Henan, a group of police officers grow angry after a private car takes too long to get out of their way, so they batter the vehicle [1]. An official in Hubei refuses to pay a parking fee and beats up the cashier.


News reports of violent attacks, involving both ordinary people and civil servants, have appeared with unusual frequency over the past weeks. Newspapers have responded with commentaries asking why people appear to erupt with such vehemence, even over trivial matters.


The People's Daily said moods could turn easily and resorting to violence was becoming the first choice, rather than the last. The newspaper said many people claimed to have an "inferiority syndrome". "A sense of inferiority leads to poor self-respect, which makes those people easily offended," it reported.


The People's Daily also warned of a "very dangerous sentiment" that led some people to take revenge on innocent people for unfair treatment they themselves had received at the hands of someone else. They pointed to a handicapped man who set off a home-made bomb at the Beijing Capital International Airport last month, injuring only himself. He said he was left disabled after a beating by police and wanted to publicise his case. Some people, well acquainted with police excess, applauded the man. But the People's Daily warned: "By exchanging violence for violence, one will never achieve true equality and justice. And those who applaud may also become victims of violence."


The Guangzhou Daily warned that some officials' strong-arm tactics were making public hostility worse. "Officials, on behalf of the public, should set a good example and not amplify the ruthlessness and brutality now present in society," it said. "Therefore, officials who take advantage of their power to beat people should be strictly punished."


Hunan province's official news portal, rednet.cn [2] noted that in many cases people's capacity for cruelty was reinforced because their own demands had been violently dealt with by authorities; for example, a Hunan watermelon vendor apparently beaten to death by the notorious urban management officers.


State television ran a website commentary blaming some media outlets for contributing to the negative social mood. Reporters were obsessed with justifying the aggressor's actions and emphasised any unfairness or injustice he encountered in the past. Others linked unrelated cases to argue government inaction was to blame and crimes were the result of a thirst for revenge, it said.


The Ministry of Public Security last week ordered local police to focus on the crackdown on terrorist activities as well as individual attacks.


The Hubei Daily urged that in addition to the judicial departments' efforts to punish assaulters, it was also important to work towards giving more care to the disadvantaged and ensuring smooth communication between the public and the government.


The China Youth Daily asked readers to avoid falling under the influence of others who resorted to violence and called for more self-discipline. "We always consider something as a 'social issue', but as a part of society, are we not responsible for the state of society's as it is today?" it argued. "We may not be able to change someone's brutal nature, but we can choose not to be influenced by it," it said. "We may not be able to eliminate all evil, but we do not have to help perpetuate it."


More on this:
Beijing man kills two-year-old girl following dispute over parking [3]
Source URL (retrieved on Aug 4th 2013, 7:30am): http://www.scmp.com/comment/insight-...-rash-violence
Links:
[1] http://www.china.org.cn/china/2013-0...t_29582546.htm
[2] http://rednet.cn
[3] http://www.scmp.com/news/china/artic...g-dispute-over

Interesting article - thanks for posting this.

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Originally Posted by euphonius

The People's Daily said moods could turn easily and resorting to violence was becoming the first choice, rather than the last.

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When I first moved to China, I VERY rarely saw any physical confrontation. In fact, I think I saw only one in the first few years. But I often saw people screaming & shouting at each other, often for a long time ... much longer than would have happened in the West.

Now, it is different - fist fights (well, something that kinda looks more like attempts at movie Kung Fu) are commonplace.

A few days ago, while waiting outside my building for another MCM member to show up, some pedestrian apparently brushed another pedestrian in a crosswalk. The offended party immediately went nuts on the offending "bumper" and a rolling around on the ground ensued, in the middle of the huge intersection, much to the interest of the passers-by, myself included. I could not help but laugh out loud at the absurdity of it all, and according to a friend who was standing next to me, this kinda pissed off the assembling crowd - "how dare a foreigner laugh at our comrades!" Fortunately, after a few minutes, the combatants tired and went on their way. Else, I might have been tossed into a messy situation.

Strange.

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Originally Posted by MJH

I would assume based on the content as it is written there were 106 incidents in 2011 and then
27 events for this half year. Representing roughly 79 less events since 2011. The number of incidents have been reduced, since the enactment of the law, by roughly 75%.


Which also is -392% of 27 as a percentage of 106, percentages of changes can be negative, just not when counting physical events. Percentages can be negative, events can be negative, just not when counting occurrences as physical events, unless as Boolean data and it is not the case here, in the case of Boolean data a negative event is a false opposed to being a true. In that case, it be a measurement of the total population, that being not involved in an incident or involved in an incident, however it still would not be appropriate to represent changes as negative percentages, that is only acceptable when recording losses in tangible units of measure or objects.


Somebody may have been instructed to stretch or embellish, because the change is hardly significant, it would be if it was a change in number of fatalities, but it is only about getting a ticket and with that is subjectivity, that being enforcement may be avoiding issuing the ticket with such a high level of punishment and likely drivers are being now sighted with lesser offenses.


In other words it is kind of sort of propaganda.

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I love you.... Thank you.

Sometimes, research validates commonly held beliefs ...

BMW drivers really are jerks

Also, the New York Times article

And, the Mail Online article

In Beijing, I'd rank the black Audi as number 1.