Han Ximin

    ximhan@126.com

    A RAPID bus corridor with left-side bus lanes linking Minzhi Boulevard and Caitian Road will be constructed, cutting commuting time between Minzhi and Futian’s CBD area to 30 minutes.

    According to the plan released by Shenzhen’s transportation commission Thursday, 38 pairs of bus stops will be built on the left side of the roads, and bus passengers will be able to transfer to six Metro lines in the future, including the Luobao, Shekou, Longgang and Huanzhong lines and future lines 7 and 9.

    Road renovation work will start early next year and the first rapid bus corridor will be completed in the second half of next year.

    Xincai Passage was the first road in the city to have bus lanes on its left side. The commission will extend the bus lanes at both ends, to Futian Checkpoint in the south via Caitian Road and Qinghu Metro Station in the north via Xinqu Boulevard and Minzhi Boulevard. The 19-km corridor will link business and residential clusters in Futian’s CBD area, Longhua, Bantian and Guanlan.

    The bus lane can only be used by buses and vehicles with more than 10 seats. The bus routes going through Meilin Checkpoint will be increased from the present 68 to 100.

    The bus lane will connect with the city’s Metro, tram, and bicycle systems.

    Xincai Passage, which opened a month ago, has effectively relieved congestion at Meilin Checkpoint.

    Statistics from the transportation commission show that vehicle flow reached 2,500 vehicles per hour during rush hour in September while vehicles on Meiguan Road stably kept at 5,500 per hour.

    Congestion during rush hour at Meilin Checkpoint has been reduced from 120 minutes to 60 minutes.

    The time it takes for buses to go through Meilin Checkpoint via Xincai Passage has been shortened by 14 minutes. The time for buses going through Meilin Checkpoint via Meiguan Road-Huanggang Road has been shortened by 12 minutes.