133. What? No Busses?

Phnom Penh skyline

Phnom Penh: a city with 2.2 million residents and no public transportation. Many cars but mainly tuk-tuks, motorcycles and mopeds. Rare taxis.  Not as many bikes as I thought for a flat terrain. Tuk-tuks aren't cheap, tourist price 3-5 dollars to get downtown from my hotel about 15-20 minutes away.

View from back of a cycle

Tuk-Tuk

Walking around, I was offered a motorcycle ride every couple of blocks, until of course I really wanted one. And why not, an easy way for the owner to pay for the cycle. Two bucks got me the same destination as the $4 tuk-tuk.


I'm guessing the low number of bikes reflects the hazards of competing with cars and motorcycles.  And in a large city, it may be that jobs are too far away from homes. "Downtown" seems to consist of government buildings and tourist spots with job-heavy commercial high rises scattered throughout the city, making it easier to live close to where you work.  

Shave head: need umbrella

As for pedestrians?  Just me and some Buddhist monks.  With sidewalks on commercial streets taken up by parked cars, walking means sharing the street with cars, cycles, and tuk-tuks, not very appealing.