Han Ximin

ximhan@126.com

A PLAN for the construction of two bike-only roadways, one linking Longhua and Futian districts and the other linking Longhua and Nanshan districts, had been approved by the city government, according to the local transport bureau.

The plan marks the beginning of the city’s efforts in building a high-quality cross-district slow traffic network to promote low-emissions transportation and relieve congestion.

The Longhua-Futian special bike road will be built along the Meiguan and Huanggang roads and connect Bijia Hill and Lianhua Hill at its end.

The Longhua-Nanshan one will start at the joint point of Liuxian-Meilong boulevards and end at the intersection of Liuxian and Xueyuan boulevards.

The independent bike roads will be either elevated or at  ground level, depending on  surrounding terrain, and link major residential, business and office clusters, checkpoints, railway or Metro stations. The ground bike roads will be separated from other lanes by fences or greenery belts.

According to the plan, the construction of slow traffic networks is a major step toward relieving congestion. The transport bureau has released a survey over the construction of bike roads to seek suggestions. Residents can respond to the survey by logging on to https://wj.qq.com/s2/3860176/c2d9/ and scanning the bar code.

In May this year, Beijing opened its first bicycle-only road near Longze Metro Station.

The 6.5-kilometer road is expected to ease traffic congestion in the area between Huilongguan, a densely populated community in the northern part of Beijing, and Shangdi, where a large number of high-tech companies are located.

Conveyor belts for bikes and other power-assisting devices are installed at the six entrances and exits of the Beijing bike road, which can help commuters save energy when going uphill and ensuring safety when going downhill. Entry is forbidden to pedestrians, electric bicycles and other vehicles. It takes around 30 minutes on average to cycle between Huilongguan and Shangdi. Due to heavy traffic, it takes more than 40 minutes to commute by subway during rush hours because people cannot get into the crowded subway station.