Beijing's new bikeway shows cycle of progress in transport

In northwest Beijing, the large residential area of Huilongguan, with about 500,000 residents, is only 6 to 10 kilometers from the high-tech employment center of Shangdi, where hundreds of companies are located. Shangdi is the northern end of Zhongguancun district, which is often called "China's Silicon Valley".

A 2016 survey by researchers at North China Electric Power University found that residents of Huilongguan work primarily in Shangdi, followed by Zhongguancun as a whole. Furthermore, subway Line 13 connects the areas. So, you might think that commuting such a short distance would be easy. But, the survey concluded: "due to the many vehicles and intense population in many aspects traffic congestion caused people great distress. About 81.5 percent of residents believe that traffic conditions need to be improved".

Any commuter going from Huilongguan to Shangdi needs to cross the heavily traveled G6 expressway, which separates the two areas. Many will also have to cross the G7 expressway. At all times of day, especially during rush hours, traffic is backed up from intersection to intersection. The subway lines are so crowded that travelers often have to wait 20 minutes to enter the station. So, a 6-kilometer commute might take an hour.