‘Green’ commuting key to cities’ health
In celebration of the 11th World Car Free Day, philanthropic organizations and local governments in China joined hands to create cleaner skies and healthier citizens by advocating green commuting.
With the rapid development of society, the role of public and people-powered transportation in traffic diversion has been constantly shrinking.
According to a recent report, the percentage of people commuting by bicycle has dropped from 50 percent in the late 1980s to only single digits now.
As a product of the 11th World Car Free Day, which took place on Sept 22, the report was jointly issued by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, and GoalBlue (Shenzhen) Low Carbon Development and Promotion Center, a Chinese nongovernmental organization aiming at promoting a sustainable lifestyle by lowering carbon emission, as well as by encouraging healthy diets.
Since 2000, China has witnessed great increases in the size and economic scale of its cities, as well as daily commuting distance.
As a result, the number of vehicles surged rapidly and transportation in the country marched into an era of “motorization”, which brought both benefits and urban problems.
“Thirty years ago in Beijing, there were nine million residents with seven million bicycles, and the daily commuting time then was 23 minutes on average,” said Liu Daizong, China transport program director of the World Resources Institute.
“Today, there are 23 million citizens in Beijing, with around six million cars, and the average daily commuting time has increased to one hour 20 minutes,” Liu added.
According to a 2016 report launched by Beijing Transport Institute, in 2015, severe and moderate traffic congestion duration in the city grew by five minutes and one hour, respectively, compared to the previous year. The range of congestion area also enlarged.
“More and more cities are getting to realize that the direction of urban transportation development should be adjusted,” said Zhao Yixin, secretary-general of China Association of Metros, Engineering and Development Committee.
“To tackle the current transportation problems, we should promote a public transportation-friendly environment where it is more convenient to ride a bike or take a walk than to drive a car, achieving the ‘renaissance’ of bicycling and walking,” Zhao added.
As one of the most influential NGOs in China, GoalBlue has long been devoted to providing the right guidance to consumers, such as calling for car-free commuting, or NonMotorized Traffic (NMT), and helping them establish low carbon and energy-saving life habits. Founded in 2016, it launched several programs in order to promote sustainable lifestyle, including smart eating and clean commuting, as well as ocean protection.
Founder of GoalBlue, May Mei, said that walking and riding bicycles play very essential roles in alleviating traffic congestion as well as reducing air pollution and energy waste.
“These aspects are beneficial to a city’s sustainable development,” she said.
To solve the problem, Liu Runhui, regional director for East and Southeast Asia at the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy, suggested that the government should devote more efforts to urban planning.
This would include reinforcing connections between sidewalks and bike lanes, separating car zones with bicycle lanes, as well as providing more accessibility for disabled pedestrians.