Many cities in China have serious traffic problems in the cities and elsewhere. Traffic movement in many Chinese cities is so different than in the US or other western countries, that as a westerner it seems chaotic to me. Having trucks, buses, taxis, motorcycles, bikes, and pedestrians crisscrossing the streets with little apparent regard for safety, from my point of view, in America there would be arrests by the police for each group every second. I am reminded of the rather foolish American youth game in autos called "Chinese fire drill." In the US, when a car, loaded with young people, comes to a red light where the auto must stop, someone yells: "Chinese fire drill!" Then all of the people in the car rush out of the driver's side and run around the back of the car, getting back in on the right passenger's side. The goal of the game is to get out of the car on the left, run around the back, and jump back into the car on the right before the light turns green. If there is a policeman or police car nearby, the police do not see this as a good joke, as it can be dangerous for the passengers in that car or in other cars. For me, then, this is what the Chinese traffic pattern looks like in the cities where I have been.
Nonetheless, the Chinese pattern seems to work for the Chinese who know how to cross streets in what an American would consider an erratic pattern. As China becomes more and more open to westerners in China, and more and more open to traffic patterns in Western societies, new decisions are being made by traffic planners and local governments to control traffic patterns. This might mean being more strict about vehicles staying on their side of the street, making left and right turns in a more careful manner, creating more one way streets, and requiring pedestrians to cross only in designated pedestrian walkways.
On a personal level, I have begun to be acquainted enough with the current Chinese traffic patterns that I am able to cross streets and stay with the flow of the traffic so that I don't get hit by a vehicle, motorcycle, bike, or three wheel bike. I do not ride a bike in China, because the bikes are too low for me with my very long legs. I also travel between campuses at night a lot and I believe that I would not feel safe on a bike at night, without a bike light or red reflectors at the front and back of the bike.