Beijing Proposes Exclusive Cycle Path for Northern Commuters

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Beijing is considering building a "bicycle highway" that will allow northern residents to commute to downtown areas on their own exclusive road, independent of vehicular traffic.

Currently in the research phase, the proposal would construct a dedicated bike path that would begin at Huilongguan, located on the northern arc of Beijing Metro Line 13, and follow through to Shangdi before terminating at Zhongguancun, Beijing's newly allocated high-tech area (before it gets relocated).

A fifth of Huilongguan's 370,000 residents are estimated to work in Zhongguancun, while some 16 percent work in Shangdi.

The bicycle commute is estimated to take between 20 to 30 minutes, while a commute by car from Huilongguan to Zhongguancun may take up to an hour.

Described as being built in gradual stages, the bike path is described as both "conventional" as well as a "bicycle highway." Although few details have been released about the proposal, the bike path is described as being five to seven meters-wide to accommodate two-lane traffic.

Additionally, the proposed bike path is described as being built on the ground as well as on an "elevated path," suggesting the city will create overpasses to allow cyclists to bypass crowded intersections.

First announced back in June, the new bike path is being considered in addition to another bicycle route currently being built nearby. Located just to the east of Huilongguan, this bike path will start from Tiantongyuan and also stretch towards Zhongguancun.

In making the announcement, the municipal road maintenance management center acknowledged the generally poor conditions of bike lanes, often found to be used for parking.

Beijing currently has a number of bike lanes; unfortunately, their misuse sometimes means ordinary commuters are compelled to perform extraordinary feats of civic duty.

According to the 13th Five-Year Plan, Beijing aims to build 3,200 kilometers of bike lanes within the city's Third Ring Road by 2020.

The world's longest elevated bike path, located in Xiamen

China's southeastern coastal city of Xiamen in Fujian province is currently home to the world's longest elevated bike path (pictured at top and above). Opened in February of this year, the path is five miles long and can carry over 2,000 cyclists per hour.

Images: news.cn, road.cc

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