Fluid Dynamics and China

Today I was riding my bike around and was reminded of reading about people studying traffic patterns found they were very much like fluid dynamics. I think China is even more so. The molecules here are of all sizes: buses, trucks, cars, pick-up bicycles, bicycles, and pedestrians. They all have their own energy levels, resistance, and viscosity. There are enough pedestrians at some intersections that they have Brownian motion -- they go in every direction regardless of the lights or traffic present. Most of them go in one direction but there always seems to be somebody who ends up in the middle of the intersection and has to wait until the traffic clears.

A lot of China's traffic problems would be solved at least partially if people in cars, on bikes, or on foot just followed the lights. At large intersections when a critical mass of people have formed on the sidewalk, they start pressing into the street and begin constricting the flow of cars until the street is completely blocked off. Then the flow of people is unstoppable. This is completely regardless of whether the cars have a green light or not. Cars attempt to push their way through the mass of people.

I must admit that I often don't bother to look at whether there is a walk signal or not. I just start walking if there seems to be an opening. I am certainly not the only one. Cars also do the same thing. Two intersections near the university seem to be in perpetual gridlock. Cars wanting to make a left turn often drive in the on-coming traffic lane in hopes of getting through the light faster but just add to the gridlock.

I bet more things in China could be looked at with fluid dynamics than just traffic. People here seem to flow in every direction often seemingly random.