Solving traffic woes
(China Daily)Updated: 2006-12-04 08:38
It requires meticulous weighing and co-ordinating to manoeuvre a reasonable balance between everybody's right of way.
The ministry has shown intention to raise the cost of the use of non-public vehicles, though it is yet to come up with executable schemes. That may contribute to diluting traffic on the streets.
But the most important precondition, as the ministry has observed, is government input.
In recent years, many local governments have invested heavily in building and renovating roads. But much less was spent on updating our over-burdened public transport networks.
Some cities have even used public land designated for public transport facilities for other development programmes in order to make profits.
Since many public transport operators are running in the red because of higher prices for fuel, insurance and maintenance, some local governments have simply sold or leased bus companies or routes to private firms.
A 2006 survey of 117 cities by the Ministry of Construction found that 66 failed to finance or offer policy incentives for infrastructure construction, or vehicle and equipment update.
The policy guidelines issued on Saturday to give priority to urban public transport promise that the central government will offer subsidies to compensate for the economic losses resulting from oil price hikes. That is good news for all.
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