'Conbini warp' an increasing traffic problem for businesses, authorities across Japan

The problem is that the road design in Japan is terrible. There are stop lights every few metres and this gets frustrating, so drivers cut corners. Ducking through a car park is one way.

Roundabouts would improve things. They are also MUCH safer. Installing roundabouts to keep the traffic flowing and banning car parks at intersections would fix the problem.

Thanks SoraNews!

One thing I noticed during my years in Japan, Taxi drivers are the most aggressive LAW DISREGARDING drivers, several times I was cut off, tailgated, and literally pushed off the the road by taxis. Even when cycling.

"Roundabouts would improve things. They are also MUCH safer. Installing roundabouts to keep the traffic flowing and banning car parks at intersections would fix the problem."

and cause even more serious problems. In Japan, there are a lot  pedestrians and cyclists and the roads are narrower. Roudabouts would cause more accidents.

One ace in the hole of law enforcement is a rather vague legal definition of “a road” in the Road Traffic Act: “a place where an unspecified number of people come and go.”

Once again the typical Japanese style to deal with actions that should be well regulated, just make an ad hoc interpretation of some vague regulations or rules instead of actually making the effort of modify it to make it clear and effective.

Not just cars; motorcycles and bicycles do this too, far more frequently.

@ BertieWooster

Roundabouts would improve things. They are also MUCH safer.

For who ? Without even talking about their impracticability. I have experienced place which go through normal light to roundabouts. It was hell : constant traffic, no way to anticipate what vehicle where going to do, having to wait and wait, the only way to cross was running for it. So you end up with roundabout with crossing light or over/under bridge.

https://streets.mn/2017/11/17/are-roundabouts-safer-for-pedestrians/

https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/ex/sustainablecitiescollective/roundabout-safety-mixed-results-pedestrians-cyclists/122461/

Nothing like the freedom to walk or bike and not stay bitter between four cans fuming ...

Great If they follow the rules but like the cars mentioned here, extremely fee cyclists follow even 10% of the road laws!

Under 65 using the pedestrian zones, most cyclists have no idea what a stop sign means, in my area they have placed bicycle lanes on the road side with direction arrows every 10 metres or so but you will see at least half going in the wrong direction.

2 years ago I got plowed into by a cyclist barreling down a hill not stopping at the stop on the corner as I was walking on the sidewalk.

I broke my arm, the woman yelled at me that I was at fault because she rang her bell and while I was still on the ground she took off.

Cars, motorcycle, bicycles all cut in and out of traffic, parking lots, etc...

And often right after seeing all that just down the road you will find 5 to 10 policy officers standing around checking bicycles ownership or cars that cross the yellow like on the down section of an overpass.

A part of the reason for this is government stupidity.

Take the route 4 ( Nikko Kaido) in North East Tokyo, 90% of the traffic problems are due to the traffic lights.

No synchronization, I once asked why the light are not synchronized ( one light is green the next light is red) and it turns out the different wards/ cities will not agree to cooperate, so in Soka city Saitama you get multiple green lights in a row then at the border with Adachi-ku a different timing, then at the border of Adachi-ku and Arakawa-ku again lights set to a different timing, then it repeats Arakawa into Taito, and what makes this part even worse is many of these borders are rivers meaning the traffic jams at the narrowest part a Bridge.

If you drive a lot as I used to for work this "border jam" happens all over on major roads like 246, 254, 4, 6, etc ..

Japan is in need of a big overhaul of road usage rules.

There's just not public pressure and awareness of it all. It needs years of commercials, advertisements, PSA's etc to drill road usage into people's heads. I really think drivers/cyclists/pedestrians just don't understand how things work.

Have sensible rules, enforce them, problem starts to go away.

Around here, I constantly see cyclists riding on the road the wrong way and I've read that the believe is that this is safer.

Cyclists use the sidewalks because they are scared of going onto the roads (a cycle is a vehicle, a sidewalk is for..... oh, you work it out)

I remember that when I renewed my license, they told us about the spike of bicycle-related accidents, and that the majority of the incidents (don't remember the exact number) were people not having a driving license, in other words not having learned the traffic rules, nor experienced traffic as a car driver.

Regarding roundabouts, we have them in Europe, and in small cities work quite well, but in large, crowded cities are hell. I remember a few years ago Japan also experienced with roundabouts (don't remember where), and the conclusion was no way

One thing I noticed during my years in Japan, Taxi drivers are the most aggressive LAW DISREGARDING drivers

That is true everywhere.

90% of the Japanese police traffic enforcement is done standing on a corner waiting for something to happen.

Worse it is standing on the same corners every day ( day never night) where all the regular drivers know exactly where they will be, then once passed drive as fast and reckless as they please.

Going to physiotherapy the other day, every car in front of me, on each side of me and behind me, the drivers were tapping on their smartphones without a care in the world, 2 lights later no one was doing it because they all know the police stand on that corner and sure enough 4 police, next light back to tapping on their phones.

I know every corner in my region of Tokyo where the police will be, it isn't hard to know they have been on these same corners for well over 2 decades Monday to Friday day time only!

Around here, I constantly see cyclists riding on the road the wrong way and I've read that the believe is that this is safer.

This is due to two main reasons.

As children they are told in areas without sidewalks they should walk facing oncoming traffic ( this is also taught in most of North America).

So seeing few have ever driven a car and gotten a driver's license they equate bicycle and walking as the same.

I have said this before and got down votes massively.

All vehicles should require some form of drivers/riders licensing and liability insurance, this is simple logic. We cannot just expect someone to know the rules of the road without being taught them that is why we have drivers licenses so why do we let bicycles on the roads without at least the basics and a minimum competency test?

Pretty sure that's a $500 ticket where I'm from (New England).

People still do it occasionally, but it's not common.

Roundabouts would improve things. 

Roundabouts!

Heck stop signs would help faster in many places.

Near my house there are two intersections, both roads a two-way traffic but there is only one stop on one corner at each of these two intersections.

So to make it clear, card coming from 4 directions and only one direction has a stop and yes there are constantly accidents at those 2 intersections and no one has thought to put at least one more stop sign.

Fewer traffic lights.

More speed bumps.

Proper enforcing of rules.

The store closest to my home made a weird maze with traffic cones in its parking lot, but people still do it, sometimes I ask myself why would they do it since it is clear they lose more time in the maze than by waiting in the short red light they are avoiding, more than once I end up seeing them going behind cars that waited.

They tried (‘rotary’) roundabouts in my city here in Japan many years ago but drivers simply pushed in and no one obeyed the rules, so they re-installed traffic lights and made flowerbeds out of the leftover circle parts.

There is a convenience store near here with an inviting, tempting open lot to cut across. The problem is aggravated by the timing of the lights, way too long for the main road traffic, and way too short for the mass of cars wanting to join.

Navigating a roundabout involves making a judgement call as to when to move, i.e. thinking.

Traffic lights are, unfortunately, more suitable for Japan. No need to think. Just obey.

What about putting the car in neutral and pushing it through to the other side...like the bike-u people do?

Regrettable bit with the number of traffic lights in this country it doesn’t come as a surprise. Driving in Japan drives me nuts every day….

Many of these drivers got the idea from watching motor-scooter riders do this all the time at intersections. It's dangerous and annoying.

The 7-11 near my place had a problem with cars cutting through because of a pedestrian crossing light.

So it installed a one-way in spring metal plate on the side cars were using to cut through.

Big signs warning NO EXIT in Japanese and English with images showing the mechanism that will block a car from going out that way.

But despite that regularly some idiot goes barreling through often damaging their car and even the blocking mechanism.

We regularly see the police there with the damaged car the driver yelling that 7-11 has to pay damages.

This is our closest convenience store so we know the workers and manager well.

They say the get about 10 people a month trying to make 7-11 pay and all have lost and most had to pay 7-11 for court cost and damage to the metal barrier.

When I say the signs are clear I mean very big well lit at both entrances, you really have to be stupid to not see them.

Note: the reason this was done is because the crossing is near an elementary school and old age centre/after school care, and there were many injuries caused by cars cutting through.

Not a great fan of 7i holdings but in this case they did a very responsible thing.

Well, bicycle riders switch between being vehicles and pedestrians and don't seem to follow traffic lights.

I'll admit, I've done this before. Not through combini parking, but through a large restaurant parking lot during non-business hours. The traffic lights in Japan are terrible, not just because they often aren't n'sync, but often because they aren't green long enough. Way too many trucks on the roads too which means traffic flow is extra slow to get through most lights.

Also, allowing people to turn left on a red light would speed things up in some place. In North America, its legal to turn right on a red.

I lived in Aichi pref. for a while. I’m certain that they have special local laws according to which a red light means “accelerate”.

Roundabout have proven to be safer than traffic lights and regulate the traffic. Though car accidents are not uncommon in the roundabouts, those accidents are mostly at low speed and just vehicle body damage.

Traffic lights do cause more serious and deadly accidents.

The concept I like dates back to Roman times and is now back to being used in some places in Europe.

Large vehicles, delivery trucks, etc... are prohibited from entering the cities until late night.

This makes for far less traffic jams during the day and at night without commuters, etc.. the trucks can make deliveries far faster.

Benefits are many, less traffic being obvious but by fewer cars being stuck in traffic with engines idling, pollution is lower and fuel consumption is lower for everyone. Emergency vehicles can get around more easily, the habit of large delivery trucks stopped on main roads blocking a lane, the view of the crossing, or stopped in the bike lane during the day will no longer be a thing.

Around here, I constantly see cyclists riding on the road the wrong way and I've read that the believe is that this is safer.

I am always upset when I see cyclists on the wrong way, not paying much attention to the coming cars.

A problem in Japan is that originally, bicycles are considered like pedestrians, and that is why they ride on the wrong side or the pavement.

This is cultural and with no enforcement from the police, who does the same, there isn't any change.

@didou

That is true but in order to implement roundabouts a reeducation of all drivers would be needed.

I Quebec they have been trying to install more roundabouts but because most drivers were never taught how the work and no followup or retraining is done once someone have a driver's license the vast majority driving today have no idea how to use them.

The plan is to slowly install a few at a time, with massive signs explaining how to navigate it.

New drivers are taught how to use them, it is estimated it will take 20 years for most drivers to be familiar with them once that is achieved then the real implementation will begin.

I suspect it would be the same in Japan but if Japan really wanted to it could go much faster seeing one usually has to sit through a short video on new road laws when renewing ones driver's license.

So at that time a special class on roundabouts could be held.

Just to thought.

Roundabouts just wouldn’t work in Japan. In all aspects of life, Japanese people are used to being told what to do and this includes on the road with traffic lights. And, with the greatest of respect, they aren’t the best drivers in the world, especially here in Aichi

Can you imagine the amount of bumps and crashes that would occur at roundabouts? Especially involving K-cars driven by middle-aged and elderly women. It would be chaos.

Wow. That’s news I can use. That poor parking lot driver. My god, how does this make the news wu=ith everything else going on? Is it comic relief?

New drivers are taught how to use them, it is estimated it will take 20 years for most drivers to be familiar with them once that is achieved then the real implementation will begin.

That’s not a misprint, is it?

Roundabouts, at least in the UK, only have two fundamental rules. Give way to the right until it is safe to join the roundabout, and then once you’re on it, don’t stop for any reason until you leave the roundabout (unless the car in front brakes suddenly or something).

They’re really not very complicated.

Still, on the topic of roundabout and Japan as a country and people.

Their implementation would take a huge re-education of drivers and change in the way things are done. Most of us have lived here long enough to realise that Japan rarely changes the way things are done

If an individual cannot grasp the concept of a roundabout, then they are too dim-witted to be behind the wheel of a car. They speed up traffic - a few large roundabouts in the U.K. for instance - can be negotiated even at highway speeds. 

Why is it we always seem to run into the the arrogance of the British,l on things like this.

You were raised with the concept North America and Japan were not,

I have watched UK drivers in Canada totally clueless on how to navigate mountain roads or ice roads that for us is just logic and a normal thing,

Different countries different history different rules for decades.

A British neighbour in Canada complained for 20 year about North America driving on the "Wrong side".

One solution is to avoid putting up conbinis and gas stations at corners. If the location is a corner, they should not be given permit. This is very annoying during slow traffic. Cars from the parking lots are cutting in. Of course, due to courtesy, you let them pass. But, scratch my head afterwards.

Their implementation would take a huge re-education of drivers and change in the way things are done. Most of us have lived here long enough to realise that Japan rarely changes the way things are done

Think harder!

Can you imagine trying to implement roundabouts in cities like New York, Boston, Chicago, Montreal, Toronto, etc...

Europe's round abouts have been in existence long before cars Japan and North America roads were built long after under a very different concept.

It would take a massive restructuring of the entire infrastructure.

It would be like redesigning London to look like New York.

Roundabouts would improve things. They are also MUCH safer. Installing roundabouts to keep the traffic flowing and banning car parks at intersections would fix the problem.

Where I live there's a roundabout but most people have no idea how to drive on it; they still think the main road has right of way and that smaller cars should stop in the roundabout and yield to larger trucks.

Roundabouts need to be included in drivers ed.

I suspect the story here is that the author and editor think the "warp" expression for a shortcut is cool slang which they want to put in a headline. Although talking about it, the story offers nothing to suggest people taking shortcuts has increased, or that it has caused more accidents. The big back story with cars in Japan is "kuruma-banare", fewer people using them. Fewer people in cars will take fewer shortcuts.

What has always amazed me is that these huge convenience store parking lots even exist in urban areas. They just strike me as a ridiculously inefficient use of land in areas where every other square inch is accounted for by some use or another.

This isn't to say convenience stores shouldn't have parking lots, its just that the size of their parking lots is usually completely out of proportion to the number of cars which can park there, thus creating these open spaces where drivers can do stuff like this. Like the average 7-11 only takes up maybe 10-20% of the footprint of the overall property on which it stands, and is pretty much the only type of building in urban areas which has such an inefficient use of its space. Given the extreme cost of using so much land I've often wondered what financial arrangements exist to make it possible without bankrupting all of them.

Unlike everything else in japan which is usually restricted and regimented, Japanese roads seem to be a bit of a free-for-all. I can't go a day without seeing countless violations when I'm out and about, from people using mobiles phones and TVs whilst driving, speeding, cutting corners across car parks, ignoring crossings, speeding through red lights, only ever looking one direction when pulling out, hurling plastic bags filled with trash out of the window.

Oh, Japan needs this.

No, Japan needs that.

Japan needs this and that.

How about just being a little more careful the next time you're out and about?

Japanese roads seem to be a bit of a free-for-all. I can't go a day without seeing countless violations

and yet Japanese roads are the safest in the world.

"Road accident deaths in Japan fall to record low in 2020"

Japan's traffic accident deaths fell to a record-low 2,839 in 2020, 

https://japantoday.com/category/national/japan-road-accident-deaths-fall-to-record-low-in-2020-due-to-virus.

Japanese people are used to being told what to do and this includes on the road with traffic lights. And, with the greatest of respect, they aren’t the best drivers in the world, 

One can insert the word "respect" but that does not change the racist nature of the comment!

In fact the Japanese are probably some of the best drivers!

Considering how narrow the roads are and they can still pass 2 cars, in the country side they drive without barriers in both directions with rice paddy within centimetres of the ditches.

I have seen many non Japanese freeze in these situations unable to pass the other car out of fear.

But hey if you like perpetuating the concept of bad Asian drivers this seems to be the place!

Japanese roads seem to be a bit of a free-for-all. I can't go a day without seeing countless violations

No worse than most other countries.

But one thing that long ago ended in other countries that is still mostly done is using ones turn signal to change lanes and people actually letting them in and not everyone blocking them.

Oh and the "thank you" hazard lights" after being let in.

Sure it has gone down in use in Tokyo in the 30 years I have been here but I still see it everytime I am out driving!

@antiquesaving

Oh, come on man. I drive in Nagoya every day and I see the most dangerous, selfish, thoughtless things on a daily basis on the roads here. Come over she see for yourself

Call me a racist if you like but I stand by my comments and I’m sure many people here agree with me.

Perhaps you’re just one of these people who won’t hear a bad word spoken about Japan.

By the way, I only referenced Japan, not other Asian countries.

@Cookiemonster

Japan does have very low road accident deaths that said it is higher than the official numbers not a great deal higher but higher.

Japan only registers death as road related if the person dies within a very short period following the accident.

So someone seriously injured in a coma that dies 6 months later is not counted in most other countries this would count as a road accident related death.

This is another example of the government's fuzzy logic on certain things.

I am sure the Japanese public view these as traffic accident deaths but on official documents they aren't.

Oh and the "thank you" hazard lights" after being let in.

This is common practice on UK motorways, Mr. 日本フェッチ.

"Japan does have very low road accident deaths that said it is higher than the official numbers not a great deal higher but higher."

any links or objective proof to back up your statements?

@Cookiemonster

I don't like using wiki but pressed for time

Deaths are currently defined by those who die within 30 days of the date of the accident

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motor_vehicle_deaths_in_Japan_by_year

Its a massive fine in Australia why can't they implment that here?

"Deaths are currently defined by those who die within 30 days of the date of the accident"

*Yes Japan uses that definition, and so does 92 other countries . *Because it is recommend by the WHO.

"To harmonize surveillance data of road traffic deaths and allow cross-country comparisons to be made, a 30-day definition is recommended for road traffic deaths."

https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/road_safety_status/2013/report/section1.pdf

From the above link:

A road traffic fatality should be defined as “any person

killed immediately or dying within 30 days as a result

of a road traffic accident” (10). The choice of 30 days

is based on research that shows that most people

who die as a result of a crash succumb to their injuries

within 30 days of sustaining them.

@Cookiemonster

OK most countries at least western countries have move beyond the lowest common denominator if the WHO, with a few sad exceptions like Canada and Japan.

30 days is sadly a very minimum time and I know this from personal experience as a former paramedic in Canada.

The elderly can linger for months.

I was a witness in many coroners inquests back in the day.

6 months should be the limit as it is in many countries ( the USA goes by each state as far as I know so different states have longer and shorter limits).

The WHO sets limits as a bare minimum that all countries can reach, it's recommendations are supposed to be just that the minimum.

Yeah basically they shouldnt allow shops to locate so close to intersections then this would not be an issue.

Also while roundabouts might in theory work anyone who drives here knows that most drivers here have massive problems negotiating 4 way stops so like "confusing" (LOL!) for locals if roundabouts became a thing!

Question, anyone know how the word WARP got stuck onto combini :)........

Japan is full of 'situational behavior'. You're on your best behavior in the office but once on the train you release pent-up frustration by being rude and selfish. Same for roads and parking lots. In general I find Japanese drivers 'fairly' courteous but in parking lots quite different. They step on the accelerator hard to go a few meters for no reason. They cutoff people walking in the parking lot. They leave their vehicles idling stinking up the place especially diesel trucks. They cut across parking lots to avoid stop signs and traffic lights. They dump their ashtrays in the parking lot. They back out of the parking space quickly and abruptly without even looking. I'm constantly telling my 8yrs old son to pay extra attention cause he has to walk across the parking lot to enter the 7-11.

Well, if cops actually walked or patrolled their beats, and kept a look out for such dangerous drivers, maybe some of these numbers would go down.

What do police officers actually do in Japan anyway?

I mean other than hook up in the kobans.

and yet Japanese roads are the safest in the world.

Yes, of course. And the schools are bringing up the brightest talent the world has ever seen, and corona virus cases are some of the lowest in the world, and everyone is happy, and there is absolutely no manipulation of statistics whatsoever. Ever wonder why crime rates are so low? maybe something to do with being able to buy yourself out of ever going to jail.

“a place where an unspecified number of people come and go.”

I've known a few of them.

As long as they legally make the turn into, through, and out of the parking lot, I don't think you can (or should) do anything. But, shame on the taxi driver--a professional driver--for doing such a thing. And, people who make an illegal turn, drive on the wrong side of the road, break the speed limit, etc., should be ticketed anyway, in my opinion.

The closest law that would apply is if the vehicle doesn’t come to a complete stop before crossing the sidewalk to enter or exit the lot.

I will admit I did not know this.

I'm guilty of this as well, but nothing like the van in the YouTube video! I do it if the light is red and I'm late, but if it's just a couple cars waiting to turn, I'll wait.

Large vehicles, delivery trucks, etc... are prohibited from entering the cities until late night.

This makes for far less traffic jams during the day and at night without commuters, etc.. the trucks can make deliveries far faster.

From someone with years in the trucking and warehousing industries. Some businesses would run out of stock mid day without multiple deliveries during the day. Example, a Costco gas station. Their underground tanks are huge but they sell so much gas most Costcos need five or six full tanker loads of gas per day. Vehicle weight and size limits means only a fraction of the tanks total capacity can be delivered in one trip.

Many trucking companies start their day with full trucks making deliveries. Once the truck is empty the driver hits his customers and picks up their freight. The freight is sorted at the loading dock in the evening and loaded on trailers for deliveries across the nation. Later that night trailers come in from other parts of the country, are unloaded and the freight sorted for local destinations then loaded on trailers so the morning drivers are ready to start making their deliveries. Restricting this activity to nights only will force every small mom and pop business to keep people on the clock all night to facilitate their shipping and receiving activities. As a small business owner myself now I would never ever tolerate such a rule. I am NOT going to stay up all night in my business for the trucker to pick up or drop off my freight. It is bs.

The solution to this problem is to permit cars to make left turns (Japan, UK, Australia, NZ, etc) or right turns (the Americas, Europe, etc) on a red light after stopping and making sure it is safe to turn. If someone can come to to the traffic light and safely turn when traffic permits then there is no need to cut through the parking lot like this.

Anyone who complains about cars probably don't understand that most Japanese don't really like having too many cars on the road. They prefer walking to cycling to cars.

is it call warp because wrap is harder to say?