SHENZHEN has unveiled an action plan for 2018 and strategies for the coming three years to tackle traffic congestion.

Eight major strategies, covering 45 measures, will be taken to ensure the average vehicle speed in the city’s CBDs reaches 26 kilometers per hour during morning and evening rush hours by 2020 and public transport serves 65 percent of commuters.

The strategies include renewing the slow traffic system by completing at least 200 kilometers of bicycle lanes this year. Designs for bicycle lanes between Longhua-Futian and Longhua-Nanshan will also be completed.

Each district will set up links between its slow traffic system and bus system and the Metro network, and the transport commission will optimize 85 bus routes and open 40 commuting bus lines.

The city will add at least 20 kilometers of bus lanes and improve traffic at 100 easily congested locations by expanding the roads and narrowing vehicle lanes.

New technologies will be applied in traffic control at intersections, and traffic improvement projects will be completed at Shenzhen Bay Checkpoint, Futian Checkpoint, Futian High-Speed Railway Station and Shenzhen North Railway Station. The commission will also introduce measures to improve traffic near hospitals and schools.

The city will put into service at least 20 multi-level mechanical parking facilities within the year, including public-funded facilities at Longgang Central Hospital, Longhua People’s Hospital, and a pilot program at the Meilinyicun housing estate area.

To improve road efficiency, traffic police will impose a rule that separates passenger vehicles from cargo vehicles on Meiguan Road and Fulong Road. Vehicles won’t be allowed to park on roadsides on 11 roads in Futian and Luohu districts for more than two hours. (Han Ximin)