Beijing News You Might Have Missed This Week, Sep 23
Beijing Spearheads Green Transportation System
Beijing is leading the way in the promotion and development of sustainable transportation, achieving an impressive total rail transit distance of 1,172 kilometers, reports China Daily. This achievement has positioned Beijing at the forefront of China's green transportation revolution, according to a statement made by Gao Peng, the city's deputy mayor, on Thursday.
Currently, Beijing boasts 27 urban rail transit lines spanning 807 kilometers and four suburban railways covering a distance of 365 kilometers. In addition to expanding rail transit, Beijing has embraced the use of new-energy vehicles. A staggering 94 percent of the city's public buses run on clean and renewable energy sources, and 65 percent of the taxis operating in the city are entirely electric-powered.
Gao further stated that the government's ongoing commitment is to enhance the city's public transport efficiency by reducing transfer distances. This is part of the larger goal to optimize environmentally-friendly transportation services within the city. Beijing has set an ambitious target to achieve 76.5 percent green travel by the end of 2025.
Beijing Ushers in New Era for Robotaxi Industry with Commercial Taxi Services
Pony.ai and Baidu's autonomous taxi services have gotten the go-ahead to start providing services for customers without the need for safety personnel in vehicles in Yizhuang district, reports China Daily. Beijing previously granted permission to autonomous taxi operators to levy charges during their trial phase. The city further delineated its autonomous driving test into a three-tiered system: the first stage with safety guards at the helm, the second with safety personnel in the passenger seat, and the final stage with complete autonomy, i.e., without any staff in the vehicle.
City Seeks to Alleviate Vehicle Traffic Around Railway Stations
Beijing's traffic management is looking to alleviate traffic congestion around Beijing Railway and Beijing West Railway Station ahead of the coming Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holidays, according to a report from Beijing Daily. The efforts are a response to regular vehicle congestion observed near these stations during the summer travel rush, and will consist of modifications to traffic flow lines around the stations, optimization of parking spaces, and adding more pick up and drop off areas for ride share services and private vehicles.
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Beijing News You Might Have Missed This Week, Sep 16