Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Streetsblog

Plummeting Bike Use in Beijing, and the Need for a Global Strategy

165424224_8cce727f77.jpgCan this trend be reversed in Beijing? (Photo: crypt K. via Flickr)

Today on the Streetsblog Network, Eco Velo has a post about the precipitous decline in bicycling in Beijing:

According to a recent article published by Agence France-Presse(AFP), increasing affluence in China has caused the rate of bicycleridership in Beijing to drop from a high of 80 percent in the 1980s toless than 20 percent today. Though 20 percent is still very high byU.S. standards, the drop is nothing short of stunning. The results ofthis dramatic increase in driving are predictable, with massive trafficjams and intense smog now the norm.

Commenter Lovely Bicycle adds this thought:

This just goes to show that when bicycle use is high from necessity
alone, it is not a stable situation. Only when the *status* of the
bicycle in society changes, will its future be guaranteed.

Which brings us back to the idea we wrote about earlier in the week. How is it that we can achieve that perceived increase in status for bicycling here in the United States -- and around the world? Or is that even the best route to increasing mode share?

The
situation in Beijing shows just how high the stakes are on a global
scale, and how diffuse and localized the solutions will need to be. How
can we use the tools we have to create those solutions?

As I write this, I am sitting in the Personal Democracy Forum 2010 conference.
Most of the people here are struggling with these same types of
questions, no matter their political persuasion or the cause they want
to advance. I hope to share some of the strategies I'm hearing about
with all of you over the next couple of weeks.

More from around the network: Car Free With Kids on the uncommon phenomenon of common courtesy. Cap'n Transit on the priorities of transit managers. And American Dirt on the difference between a neighborhood and a subdivision (is it real?).

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Pennsylvania Shifted Cash From Highways to Transit – But Other States Could Go Even Further

"If your governor says they don't have money for transit, they are lying," said one advocate.

November 27, 2024

Wednesday’s Headlines Are Ready to Gobble a Turkey

Despite the challenges of a second Trump administration, we remain thankful that at least most voters continue to support transit locally.

November 27, 2024

Take a Virtual Bikeway Tour of the Southern Oregon Cities of Ashland and Talent

Start your thanksgiving vacation early with a virtual ride through some of America's best bike paths.

November 26, 2024

How America’s ‘Soft Power’ is Shaping Mobility Around the World — And How Cities Like Tirana Are Resisting it

"The biggest infrastructure we had to fight to fix was the 10 centimeters between our ears — the mentality, the status symbol that the car brought. "

November 26, 2024

Tuesday’s Headlines Need to Get the Price Right

Democrats who want to prove policies like congestion pricing work for cities, come on down!

November 26, 2024
See all posts