Environmentalists urge Beijing residents to take to bikes

Feb 18, 2010, 13:14 GMT

Beijing - When the Chinese dragon 'coughs,' it's largely due to the high degree of air pollution.

In Beijing, for example, the amount of toxic substances in the air often is above approved limits. Chinese industries are accelerating production while traffic in the capital is incessantly increasing the amount of toxins and carbon dioxide in the air.

China's economy is in the fast lane and the living standard for many Chinese is increasing appreciably. Beijing was once a cyclist's paradise, but cars started winning the upper hand some time ago. In a society in which consumerism is promoted it is difficult to advocate a sensible approach to energy, said Zhang Wenhua of the independent organization Friends of Nature.

Nevertheless, Zhang wants to get the people of Beijing back on their bikes. She has the task of finding out what infrastructure must be built in order to create more bicycle lending stations, more parking spaces for bicycles and more bicycle paths.

'There are 4.7 million cars in Beijing and an ever-declining amount of space for bicycles,' she said. 'Everyone's comfort is becoming everyone's unpleasantness.' The 27-year-old is advocating a project that will try to get people who live in the city to ride their bikes more frequently. The project, which aims to reduce CO2 emissions, has received the green light.

'It is clear to many people in Beijing that something must be done urgently to conserve energy, but they don't know how,' said Zhang, originally from Taiwan. Not only the frequency of traffic jams in Beijing is increasing, but also the frustration of environmentalists.

Zhang said there are people on one side of the argument who can afford a car and who dislike the idea of giving up their mobility.

'People know that high energy consumption is a problem, but they don't want to give up their living standard,' Zhang said.

On the other side are many poor people whose voices aren't heard. Many people don't have the courage to complain when, for example, an existing bicycle path has to give way to new construction.

Zhang hopes that in the future more people in the city of 17 million people will leave their cars at home. Her goal is to show the people of Beijing how they can preserve the environment at the same time they give their wallet a break.

By 2015 there should be 23 per cent more bicycles on the streets of Beijing through cooperation with bicycle lending stations and the city government. A survey will be conducted to determine the desires and needs of the people of Beijing.

'Our intention is that the voices of the people of Beijing will be heard,' said Zhang.

There's still a lot to do in the area of energy conservation. The central government has reacted by establishing a national energy commission that is supposed to develop an energy strategy for the world ranked second after the US in energy consumption.

'The founding of the commission shows that the government has attached an unprecedented importance to energy policy,' said Lin Boqiang, director of the research centre for energy business at Xiamen university.

Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao, who leads the commission, hopes that China's countrywide energy strategy can be better coordinated by putting competencies under one roof.