Learning to Cross the Street in Taiwan

I didn't expect traffic to be one of the things that surprised me most about Taiwan, but here we are.

Cars actually stop for you

There's a moment I keep thinking about. I was crossing a street near campus, no traffic light in sight, and a car just stopped. Fully stopped, waited for me to cross, then went on its way. No honking, no creeping forward, no making me feel like I needed to hurry. Back in Ho Chi Minh City, crossing without a light is basically an exercise in trust and a bit of luck. Here it felt like the driver simply assumed I had the right of way, because I did.

A quiet road near campus. Wide lanes, plenty of green, and drivers who don't seem to be in a rush.

Where did all the motorbikes go

The other thing that caught me off guard: how few motorbikes there are. Coming from Ho Chi Minh City, where the streets feel like a constant river of them, seeing mostly cars and pedestrians instead took some getting used to. It changes the whole rhythm of a street. Less noise, less weaving, less of that feeling that you always need to watch your back.

The road right by school. Motorbikes exist, they're just not the main event.

The air, too

It's a small thing until you notice it, but the air near campus is just clean. No haze, no exhaust hanging over the street, nothing catching in the back of your throat after a walk. Combined with the wide sidewalks and the drivers who actually stop, it adds up to something that just feels calmer.

Getting used to it

I don't think I'll stop noticing this for a while. Every time a car stops for me without being asked to, it still catches me a little off guard, in a good way.