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Bikes In Battle For Beijing's Roads

Aug 9, 2010

There are nine million bicycles in Beijing - or so the song says - well not anymore. New wealth, upward mobility and, not least, a massive domestic car manufacturing industry, mean the humble bicycle is being eclipsed on the streets of Beijing by its four wheeled rival. But as BON’s Kelda Yuen now reports city authorities are offering at least a little help to the bike in the battle for Beijing’s roads.

Tags: bikes,Beijing,traffic

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Would You Cycle More?

Well following on from our story about the city's plan to rent out bikes, the Beijing government also announced that they're planning to set up more bicycle lanes, which cars won't be able to use.

As we've just seen, cars don't often obey the rules when it comes to bike lanes, so we wanted to know what Beijing residents thought about the new plan, and whether it would persuade to ditch the car in favor of a bike. Here's what they had to say in toady's edition of Straight from the Street.
Green Train Riders

Cyclists on Beijing's streets are becoming a dying breed. China's rising affluence has translated into a love affair with cars…which means many bikes are being squeezed out of the bike lanes.

But this group of people aims to change all that.

While Paris shuts its streets to make way for the world's best cyclists, Beijing made way for those who are simply trying to stop the extinction of cyclists…and raise money for charity at the same time.