Bicycles are returning to the city, and the annual cycling volume in Beijing has risen to 950 million.

Since the opening of the bicycle lane connecting Huilongguan and Shangdi, 5.24 million people have cycled, contributing more than 1,500 tons of carbon emission reduction. Last year, the Second Ring Road completed the optimization and transformation of the slow-moving system. The width of the non-motorized vehicle lane was more than 3 meters, and the traffic efficiency increased by 25% … These data are only a microcosm of the improvement of the slow-moving system in Beijing. More detailed changes have made the citizens feel more secure when riding and walking, and it has become a social consensus to respect slow-moving gradually.

　

According to the survey data, in 2021, the proportion of slow traffic trips in the central city of Beijing reached a new high in the past 10 years, reaching 47.8%, an increase of 6.9% over 2017, and the citizens’ willingness to travel slowly continued to increase. By the end of 2021, 84.1% of the citizens thought that the slow-moving rectification was effective.

　

According to the plan, this year, Beijing will continue to promote the transformation and upgrading of the slow-moving system, promote the construction of the east extension project and the south exhibition project of bicycle lanes, optimize the slow-moving corridors of the East Third Ring Road and the North Fourth Ring Road, and improve the walking and cycling environment.

　

Shijingshan Insurance Industrial Zone has created a slow-moving system demonstration zone through the "four-way integration" of waterfront greenway, garden trail, park service road and air corridor, attracting many citizens to choose cycling and walking. Beijing News reporter Wang Guibin photo

　

"Small actions" achieve "big effects" in improving the slow-moving environment

　

The south exit of Meishi Street is the node connecting Meishi Street and Liangguang Street. There is not only a business district nearby, but also a number of residential communities. There are many cars and people every day. Since August last year, a bicycle-patterned left turn signal light has been added to the signal pole at this intersection. Cyclists who turn from west to north can turn left only by waiting for the green light once, and the passing time is only 15 seconds.

　

Before this, cyclists need to get off at the crosswalk and wait for the signal light twice to completely pass the intersection, which takes at least 3 minutes. In order to speed up, many cyclists will risk cycling through crosswalks, even diagonally crossing and retrograde.

　

At the intersection of Wangfujing Street and Dashamao Hutong, after a series of transformations, the turning radius of vehicles increases, and motor vehicles need to slow down. Both roads have 2.5-meter-wide non-motor vehicle lanes, and bicycles pass smoothly.

　

This change is due to the continuous upgrading of the slow-moving system promoted by Beijing.

　

At the end of 2019, Beijing put forward the transportation development concept of "slow travel priority, public transport priority and green priority", which fully reflected the transformation from "car-oriented" to "people-oriented" in terms of planning, construction, management and law enforcement, and some changes in details made citizens feel more at ease when riding and walking.

　

"It can be said that it has achieved great results with small moves. Since 2021, a total of 74 bicycle intersections have been set up in Beijing, and the traffic flow lines and access rights of motor vehicles, non-motor vehicles and pedestrians have been clarified, and the traffic order at intersections has been significantly improved." Jing Lubo, the first-level director of the Urban Road Management Office of the Beijing Municipal Transportation Commission, said that the transformation of the intersection of Wangjing West Road and Futong West Street is very representative. The original intersection was too large, which led to serious interweaving of people and vehicles. After the transformation, it was reduced from 8,000 square meters to 3,000 square meters, the intersection area was reduced by about 60%, the pedestrian crossing distance was shortened by about 25%, the traffic capacity of motor vehicles at the intersection was improved by about 10.6%, and the queue length of motor vehicles was reduced by about 26.1%. "In Beijing, such big intersections are gradually slimming down." Jing Lubo said.

　

Shijingshan Insurance Industrial Zone is also a typical achievement of Beijing’s slow-moving system transformation. Through the "four-way integration" of waterfront greenway, garden trail, park service road and air corridor, a slow-moving system demonstration zone has been built, attracting many citizens to choose cycling and walking.

　

In Shijingshan Insurance Industrial Zone, citizens take leisure exercise in the waterfront greenway. Beijing News reporter Wang Guibin photo

　

More abundant and smooth road choices also make the order in the waterfront greenway better and better. Peng Peng, head of the Road Facilities Section of Shijingshan District Urban Management Committee, said that when the greenway was first opened, there would be electric vehicles driving in, which was a safety hazard. "At that time, we also planned to send more people on duty to discourage them. However, after the slow-moving system of other roads near the river was upgraded, electric cyclists found that it was more spacious and smoother to bypass other roads. Naturally, they did not walk through the greenway. By increasing supply, they also achieved the effect of standardizing order."

　

Carry out the physical examination of slow traffic, and make improvement according to the problems.

　

"What is the current situation of the traffic environment of the slow-moving system? Has the transformation achieved practical results? In what areas can we make efforts in the next step? "

　

These problems are all concerned by Wang Shuling and his colleagues. Wang Shuling is the head of the slow traffic team of Beijing Traffic Development Research Institute and the director of the track institute. Her research in the field of slow traffic and monitoring the results of Beijing slow traffic management will provide reference for relevant departments to formulate policies and determine future action plans. "Slow-moving transformation is not a blank sheet of paper, there will be many difficulties and obstacles, and it is a long-term work."

　

She believes that bicycles are not only a means of travel, but also an important way to alleviate congestion, improve residents’ health, promote street vitality and help reduce carbon emissions. "In the future, the slow traffic environment in Beijing will be more friendly, and the slow traffic will also be deeply integrated with the charm of the city and the health of residents."

　

Starting from 2020, based on the development level of Beijing’s slow traffic and drawing lessons from the advanced experience of international cities such as Copenhagen and London, the transportation department will build a travel effect-oriented evaluation and assessment system for slow traffic services.

　

"In fact, it is to carry out physical examination for our slow traffic system. Only by objectively reflecting the status quo and finding problems can we formulate more targeted upgrading and transformation plans." Wang Shuling said that 2020 is the initial year of Beijing’s slow traffic physical examination. Around the use effect, more than a dozen indicators were set in three dimensions: facilities, management and usage. In 2021, fine-tuning, road tree-lined and other indicators were added, which also reflected the focus on the actual needs and demands of citizens.

　

Through the physical examination of slow traffic, the spatial data information of slow traffic in six districts, Tongzhou District and Economic and Technological Development Zone was formed for the first time. On this basis, the Work Plan for Improving the Quality of Slow Traffic System was studied and formulated for three consecutive years. With the joint efforts of various departments and local governments, 43 projects were formulated and promoted according to the target in 2020 and 2021, and the construction of slow traffic system formed a benign closed loop.

　

The "physical examination results" in 2021 showed that the non-motor vehicle width compliance rate in the core area, Shijingshan District and urban sub-centers all exceeded 80%, with the core area having the highest compliance rate of 83%. At the same time, in recent years, with the continuous improvement of facilities governance and order management, the illegal phenomenon of facilities occupying trails and motor vehicles invading bicycle lanes has been continuously improved. In 2021, the rate of facilities occupying trails decreased by 10.5% compared with that in 2020, and the rate of illegal intrusion of bicycle lanes decreased by 47% compared with that in 2020. A safe and friendly bicycle travel environment has gradually taken shape.

　

Bicycle lanes have contributed 1,500 tons of carbon emission reduction.

　

In Beijing, cycling and walking have become more comfortable, and it has increasingly become a social consensus that cars make way for bicycles and respect slow travel. According to the survey data of the third party, among the international cities with similar population size, the mileage of slow traffic facilities in Beijing ranks in the forefront, and the mileage of bicycle lanes ranks first in the total scale.

　

Among all modes of transportation, cycling can be regarded as a "zero-carbon" travel choice. According to the research data of Beijing Traffic Development Research Institute, bicycle travel can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 0.17 kg per person per kilometer compared with car travel. The change of travel structure is very important for "carbon neutrality". If a car user switches to cycling, it can reduce one ton of carbon emissions a year, and basically achieve the goal of "carbon neutrality" from an individual perspective.

　

There is a tidal lane on the bicycle lane, which can be used in the morning and evening rush hours. Beijing News reporter Wang Guibin photo

　

In 2019, Beijing built the first bicycle lane with a total length of 6.5 kilometers, connecting Huilongguan and Shangdi Software Park. Compared with private cars and buses, it saved travel time by 32% and 50% respectively, which solved the travel problems of a large number of commuters.

　

"Now, cycling is not only a mode of transportation, but also a way of life." Wang Shuling introduced that the operation of bicycle lanes not only provided convenient transportation options, but also cultivated a large number of "iron powder" for bicycle commuting. Up to now, the cumulative usage of bicycle lanes has exceeded 5.24 million person-times, and the average daily riding volume is 4,500-5,000 vehicles/time. According to the calculation of traffic mode transfer of users of bicycle lanes, bicycle lanes have contributed more than 1500 tons of carbon emission reduction.

　

Nowadays, Beijing is promoting the construction of slow traffic demonstration roads to drive more citizens to choose cycling as a green mode of transportation.

　

After the bicycle lane is completed and opened to traffic, the west extension project will continue to be implemented in 2020, and the left turn sign of non-motor vehicles and special signal timing will be added at the intersection for the first time. In 2022, the east extension and south exhibition projects of bicycle lane will be started, and the radiation-driven function of bicycle lane will be completely activated to build a brand-new green commuter corridor.

　

Last year, the optimization and reconstruction project of the second ring auxiliary road slow-moving system was also a "star project". After the reconstruction, the width of non-motor vehicle lanes reached more than 3 meters, the traffic efficiency increased by 25%, and the morning and evening peak riding flow and traffic speed increased by 8% and 5% respectively. The quality improvement projects of slow-moving systems such as the extension line of Dongdan North and South Street and Ping ‘an Street have also been completed one after another, and the whole road has achieved slow-moving priority, smooth riding and proper walking.

　

On October 10, 2021, the Second Ring Road was really "riding"-on the way to the public welfare cycling activity of the Second Ring Road slow-moving system. Beijing News reporter Wang Guibin photo

　

Bike-sharing’s annual cycling volume reaches 950 million.

　

Bicycles are "returning" to Beijing, and the service and management measures need to be constantly improved and strengthened.

　

In 2021, the proportion of slow traffic trips in central Beijing reached a new high in the past 10 years, reaching 47.8%, an increase of 6.9% over 2017, and the citizens’ willingness to travel slowly continued to increase. On 51 roads, such as Xinjiekou Outer Street and Tiantan East Road, the number of morning peak rides exceeds 3,000 per hour.

　

The total number of bike-sharing in Beijing is about 950,000, and the daily average number of riders exceeds 2.4 million, making it the best choice for connecting urban rail transit.

　

Since entering Beijing in 2016, bike-sharing has played an active role in connecting the "last mile" of public transport and advocating citizens’ green travel. At present, the number of operating enterprises in bike-sharing has been reduced from 16 in its heyday to 3 in Meituan, Hello and Qingcheng, and the number of operating vehicles has been adjusted from 2.35 million to about 950,000. The compliance rate and dynamic access rate of operating vehicles are above 95%, initially forming a "1+N" pattern with one operating area in the central city and n operating areas in the suburbs, and the vehicle operating area has gradually expanded from the Fifth Ring Road to all administrative districts. In 2021, the annual cycling volume of bike-sharing in the city reached 950 million, and the highest cycling volume in a single day exceeded 4.71 million.

　

In order to continuously standardize the development of the Internet bicycle industry, the Municipal Transportation Commission has established a comprehensive supervision system to promote the healthy development of the industry. In order to standardize the parking of these bike-sharing and promote the integration of the slow-moving system and rail transit, Beijing has completed the construction of 224 bike-sharing electronic fences in 51 key rail transit stations, realizing the settlement of the entry. Up to now, more than 26,000 parking areas have been designated in bike-sharing, and 16 no-parking areas have been publicized in the core area, and the coordinates of all parking areas, no-parking areas and parking management areas have been pushed to enterprise clients to guide citizens to park in an orderly manner. At the same time, through the joint convention jointly launched by operating enterprises and industry associations, the riders who repeatedly violate the rules will be jointly punished, riding will be restricted, and citizens will be guided to regulate their car use behavior.

　

Citizens ride in Shijingshan Insurance Industrial Zone. Beijing News reporter Wang Guibin photo

　

Compress the space of motor vehicles and return the road to walking and cycling.

　

A survey on the slow-moving system shows that more than 54% of Beijing residents believe that motor vehicle interference is the most important factor affecting riding comfort, among which "illegal parking" and "unreasonable parking space setting" are more intuitive; There is also a survey by relevant departments that nearly 70% of cyclists believe that order is an important factor affecting cycling.

　

Yang Xinmiao, deputy director of Tsinghua University Transportation Research Institute, has been engaged in research work in the fields of green transportation and traffic safety for a long time, and he often chooses green travel modes such as cycling.

　

He believes that it is the key to ensure the smooth and orderly slow-moving system to go its own way. "The sidewalk is for people to walk, and the bicycle lane is for people to ride." In this regard, he put forward a number of specific suggestions: no parking within three parking spaces at intersections, no parking within two parking spaces at bus stops, no parking within two parking spaces at the entrance and exit of residential areas, and shopping malls, schools, hospitals, etc. should help smooth the walking and cycling in front of the door, and motor vehicles should be allowed at night.

　

In order to further protect the right of way, Beijing is gradually rectifying the parking spaces with problems, and continuously strengthening the order management of the slow-moving system and increasing the investigation and punishment of roadside violations of motor vehicles. In the future, new electronic toll parking spaces on roads will also be reviewed in advance, and can only be set if the width of non-motor vehicle lanes is met.

　

Jing Lubo introduced that Beijing has compiled a series of planning documents such as "Beijing Slow Travel System Planning (2020-2035)" to clarify the future development orientation of the slow travel system, and formulated a series of standards and technical rules such as "Technical Guide for Improving Pedestrian and Bicycle Traffic Facilities in Beijing", highlighting the principle of street space allocation with priority on walking and bicycles. It is the first time to reduce the width of motor vehicle lanes to widen bicycle lanes and trails, pay attention to the priority of slow travel at intersections, and set up bicycles.

　

This year, the slow corridor of the East Third Ring Road and the North Fourth Ring Road will be optimized.

　

The work of promoting the construction of slow-moving system continues. In May this year, Beijing successively issued the Traffic Development and Construction Plan of Beijing during the Tenth Five-Year Plan and the Action Plan for Comprehensive Traffic Management of Beijing in 2022, which set clear requirements for improving the slow traffic environment in the future.

　

Jing Lubo told reporters that this year, Beijing will continue to make efforts to improve the slow-moving system. At present, relevant plans are being formulated and improved. "Typical projects include the slow-moving corridor construction projects of the East Third Ring Road and the North Fourth Ring Road, and will continue to optimize bicycle lanes and trails along the route to make green travel smoother and safer."

　

According to the Action Plan for Comprehensive Traffic Management in Beijing in 2022, in 2022, Beijing will continue to optimize and upgrade the green travel environment, and accelerate the construction of Dongtuo (Liangzhuang West Street-Lincui Road) and Nanzhan projects of Huilongguan Bicycle Dedicated Road; Optimize the slow corridor of the East Third Ring Road and the North Fourth Ring Road (Haidian Bridge-Zhixinqiao) to improve the walking and cycling environment; With the goal of building city slow traffic system, which mainly serves commuting, we will speed up the compilation of slow traffic planning and build a slow priority demonstration block, with at least one in the central city, Tongzhou District and Economic Development Zone. At the same time, it will also promote the connection and integration of garden greenways, waterfront roads and urban road slow-moving systems. Build 20 slow-moving boulevards to increase the comfort of walking and riding. Create 21 cycling routes of "Walking in Beijing" to promote the deep integration of slow travel and tourism.

　

If we turn our attention to the long-term goal, Beijing’s expectation for slow traffic is not limited to the traffic field, not only to "build a pedestrian and bicycle-friendly city and form a continuous and safe slow traffic network", but also slow traffic will become a part of citizens’ healthy life.

　

"Beijing Traffic Development and Construction Plan during the Tenth Five-Year Plan" depicts such a picture for the future development of the slow-moving system: in the "last mile" connection of public transportation, walking and cycling will play a greater role; The slow-moving system in the Fifth Ring Road is continuously networked, all eligible roads are divided into non-motor vehicle lanes, and bicycle priority signs are added to all non-motor vehicle mixed roads; Pedestrians will also be safer when crossing the street. Pedestrians will have exclusive safety facilities when crossing the street, and bicycles will no longer need to detour and retrograde when passing. Streets and blocks will also be more suitable for walking slowly. When riding on the road, citizens will enjoy more trees and trees, and the riding environment will be more comfortable and pleasant.

　

Beijing News reporter Yan Jianfei

Editor Zhang Lei proofreads Liu Yue.