Green way to go

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China Daily, December 14, 2011
Adjust font size:

Unfortunately China, which was once known as the "kingdom of bicycles", has become one of the most hostile places for cyclists.

More and more cities in developed countries are starting to encourage people to forgo their cars in favor of environmentally friendly bicycles and it is time for Chinese cities to recall the country's strong bicycle legacy and seek to end the tyranny of automobiles on our streets.

The lanes intended for bicycles are all too often used by drivers as a way of escaping traffic jams and are frequently blocked or squeezed into an arm's width by parked cars, and rare indeed is the driver who shows any consideration for cyclists.

Yet encouraging residents to leave their cars and use other forms of transport would not only relieve traffic congestion, it would also improve the air quality. As automobile exhausts are a major contributor to the suffocating smogs that are smothering Chinese cities.

But despite the congestion and pollution our love affair with cars continues unabated. In Beijing, for instance, the number of automobiles has jumped from 1.73 million in 2001 to nearly 5 million in 2011.

Even though Beijing's subway system already carries 7.5 million passengers a day and people make 20 million trips by bus on average each day, they are still not enough to meet the needs of the city's growing population. So encouraging more people to use bicycles is the easiest way to relieve the strain on public transport and getting people to travel green.

Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, has been actively promoting bicycle use. The city government created 61 bicycle rental service spots near public transport hubs with 2,800 bicycles in 2008. Three years later, the rental network has expanded to 2,431 spots with more then 60,600 bicycles and the daily average rentals are now 230,000. The government will add 200 more rental service spots and 5,000 bicycles at the end of 2011, making Hangzhou the city boasting the most public bicycles in the world.

Some other Chinese cities have also introduced a bicycle rental service. But poor management and a lack of public awareness mean they have often failed to take off.

To help such initiatives succeed the authorities need to strengthen the management and supporting policies for such services and ensure there are secure and well-managed parking sites for bikes, especially at subway and bus stations. A series of publicity campaigns should also be launched to raise the public's awareness of the benefits of bicycles.

And more needs to be done to protect cyclists' road rights, beginning with special lanes reserved for cyclists.

Print E-mail Bookmark and Share

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)

No comments.

Add your comments...

  • User Name Required
  • Your Comment
  • Racist, abusive and off-topic comments may be removed by the moderator.
Send your storiesGet more from China.org.cnMobileRSSNewsletter
主站蜘蛛池模板: 蜜芽国产尤物AV尤物在线看 | 99re免费在线视频| 美女扒开内裤羞羞网站| 国产成人无码一区二区三区| 5g探花多人运动罗志祥网址| 天堂精品高清1区2区3区| 一级毛片大全免费播放| 放荡的欲乱合集| 久久国产真实乱对白| 特级毛片www| 国产在线精品国自产拍影院同性 | 亚洲一区二区三区在线网站| 欧美黑人粗大xxxxbbbb| 人妻内射一区二区在线视频| 精品国产三级a在线观看| 国产欧美在线观看一区| 18女人腿打开无遮挡网站| 在线天堂新版在线观看| 丰满爆乳一区二区三区| 欧美日韩一区二区三区四区在线观看| 国产99热在线观看| 青草影院内射中出高潮| 国产精品自在线观看剧情| 99精品视频在线观看免费播放 | 爆乳女仆高潮在线观看| 免费人成在线观看网站视频| 香蕉在线视频播放| 国产成人精品视频网站| a级毛片免费全部播放| 女大学生沙龙室3| 一级毛片免费一级直接观看| 成人亚洲成人影院| 中文字幕亚洲精品| 日韩欧美在线免费观看| 亚洲精品国产综合久久一线| 美女被按在的视频网站观看| 国产av无码专区亚洲av毛片搜| 蜜桃麻豆www久久国产精品| 国产乱码精品一区二区三区中文 | 亚洲欧美日韩专区| 欧美激情视频二区|