Beijing seeks ways to relieve congestion

Broad view | Ian Morrison

China was once synonymous with bicycles. Now, roads on which two wheels previously reigned supreme have become the domain of the motorist.

The nation assumed the mantle of the world's "car kingdom" in 2009, when it officially overtook the United States to become the world's largest car market, and in 2013 it became the first country whose annual automobile sales exceeded 20 million units - almost 22 million passenger and commercial vehicles were sold in the nation in the year, an increase of 14 percent year-on-year.