A LAWMAKER in Shenzhen suggested that the city build more dedicated non-motor lanes to accommodate cyclists, following the popularity of app-based bikes in Shenzhen, the Shenzhen Evening News reported yesterday.

    The lawmaker, Liu Luyu, submitted his proposal to the Shenzhen Municipal People’s Congress (MPC) during the legislature’s annual session that wraps up today.

    Liu said that he has been paying close attention to this issue for a decade, and he has made the same proposal to the MPC session 10 times.

    “Non-motor lanes were part of the early urban planning for Shenzhen, but the construction was aborted somehow,” Liu said.

    He collected opinions from over 2,000 residents by handing out questionnaires over a decade ago, and the survey showed that 72 percent of residents supported keeping non-motor lanes. “I believe the proportion might reach 80 to 90 percent now, because people are more open-minded now,” he said.

    Liu said that many developed countries, such as the Netherlands, Japan and France, are promoting the use of bicycles after facing troubles following the development of automobiles. He also said that governments in many international cities are encouraging residents to use bicycles by improving road facilities and offering subsidies to bike riders.

    “There are only a few people riding bicycles for fun, with most bicyclists actually wanting to save commuting costs,” he said.

    Another lawmaker, Chen Mingfang, also endorsed the idea of building non-motor lanes. “I go by a Luohu park every day on my way to work, and it’s always crowded on the sidewalk because cyclists are riding on it, but they have no choice because they can’t use motor lanes,” Chen said.

    It’s worth noting that several non-motor vehicle drivers have been punished by authorities for using motor lanes in the city recently. Chen said that such punishment is necessary, but sometimes people don’t have a choice because many non-motor lanes end without connecting to other non-motor lanes.

    Liu said motor vehicles have dominated the right to use the city’s roads. “Many four-lane roads can be reconstructed into three-lane roads, so we could transform the remaining lane into a non-motor lane without occupying land resources or increasing investments,” he said.

    Although the city’s urban management department said that greenways could be a substitute for bicycle lanes, Liu believed they couldn’t meet the needs of residents who use bicycles for commuting. He said greenways are mainly located far away from the city’s functional areas where commercial and office buildings are based, and most of the greenways in Shenzhen are disconnected.

    Liu said that he saw hope for fulfilling his ideas since the rise of app-based bikes in the city. “I think the government will pay more attention to this issue following the popularity of app-based bikes,” he said. “Lawmakers in Guangzhou already urged the local government to include the building of non-motor lanes in its work report during Guangzhou’s MPC session a few days ago.”

    (Zhang Yang)