Government wants Beijingers back on their bikes

Wed January 27 2010
Posted Jan 27, 2010
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Beijing, China Beijing's city planners have embraced the bicycle as a potential solution to the city's traffic congestion problems, reports The Guardian. As part of the plan, the Beijing government will improve bicycle lanes and institute rental programs to provide 50,000 bikes by 2015. The addition of bike parks near public transportation hubs like bus and subway stations is also intended to reduce the population's reliance on cars. In two decades, Beijing's once-famous population of 80% bicycle commuters has shrunk to a mere 20%, as cars replace bikes in the world's biggest automobile market. While Beijing has previously attempted to incentivize bike commuting, the number of cars in Beijing now exceeds 4 million.