Traffic is a Cultural Experience
Local traffic is as characteristic of a place as what people wear or local food favorites. Crossing streets is a cultural experience. It is wise to think of it like jumping rope: pause and watch to get the rhythm before you jump in.
Boston
My first experience of this is when I arrived in Boston for college and I went to cross the street in Kenmore Square. The light turned red and a walk light came on…the cars did not stop. They kept going through half of what should have been my time to cross. Now-a-days Seattle is less law abiding than it was back then, so it is hard for people today to imagine my shock. By the time I graduated 4 years later I was familiar with the local traffic customs, but it took a while.
Amsterdam
In Amsterdam the local traffic is well managed with lanes and lights for people, bikes, transit and cars. It was a bit confusing because there were so many lights for so many things.
Nairobi
In Nairobi “the jam” makes it so that people weave in and out amongst the vehicles which are all but parked.
England and Japan
In England and Japan people seemed to be more like old Seattle: fairly docilely obedient to the signals, and generally polite.
China
In China there is variation from place to place. This makes sense in such a large country, however sometimes there is variation within one city, especially between the older and newer parts.
It took me a while to get the hang of crossing the streets, many of which are very wide. It felt pretty random, and one peculiarity compared with home, is that right turners do not have to stop for pedestrians. So when the light turns and you are given the walk sign it is open season on you for the people turning right.
When I watched an intersection from above it made a lot more sense.
China feels a bit like a cross between Amsterdam and Nairobi.
Here is the trick:
As I mentioned in the first paragraph, like jumping in during a game of jump rope, you want to stop and watch to get the rhythm of how the intersection works. Some are fairly simple, but some are Double Dutch. Then find a local person ready to cross and stay beside them. If there is a group then get yourself into the midst of it and keep pace.
Traveling in China with my dad, who tends to wander off, to look at random stuff like construction cranes and tangles of electrical wires, I was sure he was a goner. He was dazed by the busy streets and how scooters and bicycles never seemed to stop, until I told him the trick of crossing with locals. He survived, both crossing the streets and not falling into the Yangtze.