Beijing encourages its residents to use low-emission public transport such as bicycles. (Photo : Getty Images)
Local authorities announced that Beijing is set to intensify its promotion of low-emission travel by building more subway lines, roads and lanes that will be exclusively used by public buses and bicycles, China Daily reported.
In a news briefing on Sunday, Beijing Commission of Transport spokesman Rong Jun said that the Chinese capital will commence the construction of 16 subway lines, which will span a total length of 300 kilometers.
In a previous interview, Rong said that by 2020, the current 554 kilometers of subway lines will be increased to around 1,000 kilometers.
Moreover, Beijing will make 10,000 public bicycles available for use, allowing city residents to rent them from bus and subway stations and serve as their ride to home or office.
In 2015, the Chinese capital has already put 50,000 public bikes into use, five times the figure in 2012 when local officials first introduced them.
"This year, 71 percent of commuters in Beijing are expected to take buses, subways and public bikes. The number is expected to increase to 75 percent by 2020 and 80 percent in 2030," Rong revealed.
Official data shows that the city population has increased by 45 percent from 2004 to 21.7 million by the end of 2015. Meanwhile, the number of vehicles increased by a whopping 143 percent to 5.61 million.
The rise in these statistics made traffic a headache for both the transportation authorities and vehicle owners.
According to Beijing Public Transportation Group, people are "getting more reluctant to take buses because of traffic jams," the article cited. Daily, buses have the capacity to carry 13 million passengers.
As an answer, Rong stated that the city's transport commission eyes to build a 50-kilometer road for buses to make travel for these vehicles faster and more efficient.
For Yang Haiming, the deputy director of the transportation of Dongcheng District's transportation commission, promoting public transportation is beneficial in lowering carbon emissions as well as other pollutants.
Yang also remarked that low-emission public transportation can be more effective than private cars.
"We encourage residents to ride bikes, taking buses or subways if possible," he said.
