Pedestrian traffic safety (more Rio safety tips for the paranoid)

I had some people complain that I am scaring tourists away from Rio by telling them about the dangers here. Maybe I scare a few people away. But in the long run it is better if people are well informed and get themselves into less trouble, then having lots of naive tourists needlessly endangering themselves. Be aware of the dangers, do your homework, then relax knowing you did the best you could do.


Like most things in Rio, if you know how to act wisely, you can get by well. But if you think you can behave like at home, you are asking for trouble

If you are coming right from California or some small town, beware. I have seen to many gringos blindly stepping on the street just because they had a green pedestrian traffic light.

Or don't think just because you see a nicely painted pedestrian crossing on the street, that any car would stop to let you cross.




At least get some training in New York, Bangkok etc. That prepares you for worse things to come in Rio.

a) a Brazilian pedestrian will never step onto the street when the traffic light turns red for cars. He will wait till he sees a row of car stopping, thus blocking the way for further cars that might run the light.

b) be aware that bicycles, heavily loaded delivery trycicles, occasional motorbikes and even rare cars drive the wrong way on one way streets. Don't do the mistake to only look one way on one way streets. Always looks both ways.

This rule also comes in very handily when crossing Avenida Atlantica. Depending on the time of the day and day of the week traffic goes in one direction or the other. Very accident prone!! Lots of people turn right onto Atlantica without remembering that it is weekday morning and all traffic goes the other way. Very ugly accidents happen this way. I always tell the taxi driver to take the safest lanes on Atlantica (center lane) when driving early in the morning.

c) car's turn signals are used very creatively. Usually they are not used at all. When walking on the non-beach side of Avenida Atlantica, for example, and crossing small side streets, always be prepared for someone to turn at 30 miles per hour without turning signals. The safest is to cross the side street 20 feet land inwards. And look out for turning cars. So you have enough time to jump out of the way.

d) some macho drivers do not slow down for pedestrians on the street. On the contrary. They speed up with loud motor noise to get the message across to get out of the way.

e) most city buses do NOT have horns. So they cannot honk too much. They also cannot honk when it is urgently necessary!! They use their motor and brake noise as warning signals!


Driving in Rio!

Don't get a rental car to drive here. Unless you are very well prepared!!!!!

Taxis are safer then even a well prepared private driver. When I drive at night to remote places, I prefer a taxi to my own car. Most criminals think twice before getting themselves in trouble with the taxi mafia. You attack one taxi, you have 20 taxis hunting you down.

A few hazards are listed here:

There are unmarked one way streets. There are streets that suddenly turn into one way streets and suddenly you are driving the wrong way.

At certain hours of the night you cannot trust a green traffic light because the main road will run the red light consistently and reliably.

Avenida Atlantica and a few other streets change direction depending on time of day and day of week. Extremely dangerous!!
There is at least one street with left hand traffic!

There are favelas where you simply should never venture to drive into, or where you need to keep to strict rules (leave the interior light on so they can see you). The locals know the unwritten rules, but you probably don't know where they are.

There are road blocks manned by police. There are road blocks manned by gangsters in police uniform (no, usually not in Copacabana or Ipanema). There are street kids sticking broken glass to your throat while you stop at the street light with an open window. Cariocas prefer to drive with their windows closed.

One more thing, when you are in a taxi, lock the doors. I keep forgetting and and am reminded constantly.

Are you talking about the same California I live in? Up here in the urban parts of the bay area, the "run the red light" capital of North America, looking twice before stepping into the street is a given. New York training? Pah. I felt safer walking in Manhattan than I do on some sidewalks in San Francisco.

hey brazil specialist,I have lived here for 4 months and have no problem driving in rio.If you are a pussy then maybee you might have a problem.
You just have to drive aggresively and don't let these people run you off the road.Having a car is a great idea because most of these cab drivers don't know where their going or they try to rip you off.Another thing,are you from the east coast because I get the feeling your'e cali bashing trying to compare cali to a small town.Please leave youre comments to yourself and shoot some viagra in youre penis so you can get your'e 80 year old penis up.Don't you have anything better to post then traffic info?
Just bone the garotas and shut youre pie hole.
have a nice day

dude, you have like 4 posts after lurking for 5 months, and you're walking in like this is your house...calm down and play nice already...

Mrcrs,
Forget to take your lithium? Or did you just do a bit too much meth today?

I met BS for the first time today.
He doesn't deserve to be slammed.
Play nice Mrcrs
Tchau
DeeG

Wow mrcs...as you obviously have a soft spot for Cali, "where is the love?"
First of all, BS is not trashing Cali. Cali has very pedestrian-friendly laws. As do most small towns. BS is simply warning people who do not live here that traffic signals are frequently optional for drivers, which as a 4-month resident you must agree is true.
Secondly, if you read the post not in your state of anger, as a 4-month resident you must agree everything BS wrote is true.
Third, it is very informative. I am glad BS takes the time to write posts like this one. Instead of asking if he has anything better to do, you might want to ask yourself if maybe it is you
who has a little bit too much time on your hands to write so viciously.
Fourth, you should meet BS. He is a good guy. He knows a lot of women. And if you are from Cali,he will likely offer you free long distance calls from his apartment, as he did for me.
He is not 80. I don't know about his ability to get his penis up but judging from the garota traffic in his apartment when I was there I would say it is probably not a problem.

Wow mrcs...as you obviously have a soft spot for Cali, "where is the love?"
First of all, BS is not trashing Cali. Cali has very pedestrian-friendly laws. As do most small towns. BS is simply warning people who do not live here that traffic signals are frequently optional for drivers, which as a 4-month resident you must agree is true.
Secondly, if you read the post not in your state of anger, as a 4-month resident you must agree everything BS wrote is true.
Third, it is very informative. I am glad BS takes the time to write posts like this one. Instead of asking if he has anything better to do, you might want to ask yourself if maybe you have a
little too much time on your hands to write so visciously.
Fourth, you should meet BS. He is a good guy. He knows a lot of women. And if you are from Cali,he will likely offer you free long distance calls from his apartment, as he did for me.
He is not 80. I don't know about his ability to get his penis up but judging from the garota traffic in his apartment when I was there I would say it is probably not a problem.

Damn mrcs, thats the second post where you bash people who help the mongers who go down there.

Why do you think everyone is old who is on here?
Bobby and BS have both helped to make my trips alot more enjoyable , and Im not the only one.Im 28 and would hang out with both those guys.

Id like to see one of these old guys put you over their knee and give you a spanking.

Im from NYC, and who cares? Is there an east coast - west coast beef in the mongering community?

What have you ever done to help out a fellow Hombre?

Sounds like you need some positive male role models in your life, you have Daddy issues ,just like a bitch.

"you have Daddy issues ,just like a bitch."

Gonna save THAT one!!

E

Anyone have a pooper-scooper to help get mrcs's head out of his ass.......otherwise he might want to keep it where it seems best suited for.
As for BS, I've never met him, but have certainly gotten lots of valued info that's helped me on my Rio trips. During one of impeding visits, if I can drag myself away from the garotas long enough, I'd be delighted to buy him uma cerveja.