Here’re a few shots taken in Yangon last week of trains, rickshaws and people in them.  

Traffic in Yangon is light considering the population is around 4.5 million. This is due to tight restrictions on the importation of vehicles. Most cars and buses are Japanese imports from the 1980s such as Nissan Sunny Super Saloons and Toyota Corollas that have seen better days.

Even prices for a battered car are very high and can only be afforded by the well off. There are no motorcycles at all as they are said to cause too many accidents and were outlawed in the city last year.

The majority of people in Yangon use the circular line train, bus, unmetred taxi, trishaw, bicycle, or simply walk. Of course, all this makes it a very pleasant city to get around.

The train in Yangon is one my favourite travel experiences in any Southeast Asian city, taxis are dirt-cheap, trishaws are a lot of fun, and walking around Yangon with a camera, a joy. In fact, all things considered, Yangon’s traffic policy is something that most cities around the world could do with implementing…although as the owner of a Triumph Bonneville T100 I might have to take issue with the bit about banning motorcycles!