The 2008 Olympics in Beijing might still be blighted by bad air pollution, but at least the organisers are doing their best to ease the lungs of marathon runners, long distance walkers and overseas visitors. Already China has restricted the number of planes in the air, and a new grassroots solution involving two wheels has just been announced.
Beijing is already a city of bicycles, but during the Olympics an additional 50,000 brand new two-wheelers will be available for rent at more than two hundred outlets handily placed near subway stations and Olympic venues. It’s the latest initiative sponsored by the Beijing Environment Protection Bureau. The Chinese capital has just finished a four day trial where private vehicles with even numbered license plates were banned from roads on Friday and Sunday. On Monday and Saturday odd-numbered cars had to stay in the garage.
Like anything to do with China, the numbers were impressive. An estimated 1.3 million cars were taken out of circulation each day, and subway traffic increased by 200,000 passengers each day. Beijing 2008 should be quite a show.
Thanks to TravelMole for the lead.