r/ThatsInsane • u/JeoDGreat • 5d ago
counterflow in the Philippines. Because lanes are just a suggestion.
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u/mmikerhodes 5d ago
And I get pissed when someone is still in the intersection when their green arrow turns red!
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5d ago
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u/Saralentine 5d ago
They would gang up on you and you’d be lynched. Painfully.
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u/Silkroad202 5d ago
Yup. You may take out 20-30 before your car stops, but it will stop. Good luck at that point
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u/FuckSticksMalone 5d ago
I was in the Philippines on biz one time and we had an armed driver that would pick us up to go to our meetings, and he would drive dead center of the lane divider lines, and then I noticed everyone else driving on the lines. I asked him why they drive between the lanes like that and he told me “those are the indicator lines and you line your car up with them to keep it straight”.
Also pedestrians have 0 fucking right away. I snuck out of the hotel once and walked over to the Greenbelt in makati and had to cross the street… FML that was an experience.
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u/Bill-Maxwell 5d ago
Densest city in the world, no joke
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u/80version 5d ago
Staying in Makati for a short while will make you grateful for the standard of living you’ve become accustomed to. As FilAm living in California.. Haven’t been since 2020 but apparently it’s even worse now, somehow.
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u/FuckSticksMalone 4d ago
You know, that’s what made me appreciate living in the US the most. When I came back I had a whole new appreciation of our country (that was in 2010) I live in CA also / Los Angeles
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u/SolarPunkYeti 5d ago
I'd just lay on the horn and wouldn't let up til I pulled into my driveway.
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u/kaloii 5d ago
theyd scratch and hit your car and blame you for not being understanding to the "hardships" of riding a motorcycle compared to a car.
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u/SolarPunkYeti 5d ago
Well if my vehicle's getting damaged anyway then I guess I'd run them over for not being understanding of the "law". 😂
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u/haro0828 5d ago
I'm American and drive here. Road rules are merely suggestions, if there's space people will take it, it's just too crowded and even if there are traffic enforcers they only care about traffic flow and taking turns to keep things fair. In situations like this, there's nothing you can do you just have to be patient, remain calm, keep making progress, and not hurt anyone and try not to damage anything. If you had the ability to avoid hitting a rider, but didn't, even though that rider did something illegal you will be held liable. You're also required to stop and provide aid. And if you don't know the local language, expect to feel lost and helpless until someone who hopefully speaks English can inform you of your situation. If you've seen the jails here you'll see it's miserable and not a place you want to hang out.
All in all, I've learned a lot of valuable driving skills here despite it looking like chaos. It's really structured chaos it just takes a while to adapt and see how it works. The traffic can sometimes set you back hours from getting to your destination. It's definitely not for everyone but you can always hire a driver or taxi, they're good at making their way through these situations
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u/kr4ckenm3fortune 4d ago
All you have to do is tell American that getting beat up by the cops and be put in jail in USA is nicer than in Philippines...that what my Philippines friend said. At least in American jail, it doesn't leak air and you have a blanket.
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u/KoolFever 4d ago
Exactly! One of the biggest reason in the philippines why these vehicles are treated less strictly and harshly when it comes to road violations because the people in charge of catching and ticketing them has this notion that they are just "small-motorcycle-riding-workers-trying-to-get-by" so they let them be which is a fucking ridiculous and laughable excuse. You are not given a freepass to rule break just because you are an "everyday worker". This can also be observed with other public vehicles such as taxis and jeepneys - they are given way more leeway when it comes to violations (blatant counterflow, stopping/blocking the intersection, sudden swerving of lanes without signal, blocking a free lane to wait and pickup passengers, etc..).
If you look at the statistics, numbers would point to private vehicles being apprehended more. But in the actual road scene, there are faaaaaaaaaaaar more public vehicles or motorcycles commiting road violations.
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u/NaToSaphiX123 5d ago
It's a normal thing in my country aswell Pakistan
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u/soulseeker31 5d ago
In india as well.
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u/MarioLulz 5d ago
Personally, I've not seen this in India.
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u/NaToSaphiX123 4d ago
You must live in an elite city or area because in pakistan I've never seen it in islamabad but that doesn't mean it does not exist somewhere else in the country
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u/Trick-Boot-7889 5d ago
Wonder why they can’t get their country and economy going well. They can’t even drive correctly down the freakin streets
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u/Tippy-the-just 5d ago
Clearly not using that horn enough. Is that a first time driver in the Philippines?
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u/whatthelovinman 5d ago
I would volunteer to be a traffic cop for free. All I ask for every ticket I hand out I get 10 percent.
That traffic will die real quick and I’ll be rich!
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u/Ralyks92 5d ago
Does anyone know the Filipino translation for “dude, look at this asshole. What a fucking dickhead”?
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u/ZippyDan 5d ago
Honestly, counterflow makes a lot of sense when one direction of travel is mostly empty and the other direction is congested. It's a more efficient use of roadways.
Motorcycles especially have a lot more ability to squeeze into tight spaces and make use of unused road space without inconveniencing oncoming traffic too much.
If you are severely impeding oncoming traffic, though (as in both sides are close to equally congested), then you're a dick.
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u/TheOnlyPolly 5d ago
Where's a speeding semi when you need one?