The city authorities aim to (re-)introduce the bicycle as a mode of transport to counter mobility problems and to improve the quality of life in the city.

The Dutch Cycling Embassy brought Ecofys and Royal HaskoningDHV together for this spectacular project. Combining Dutch expertise and know how has led to a mix of policy strategy and support measures resulting in an optimal presentation of bicycle potential. The outcome of the Beijing bicycle policy plan was translated into a tool kit for other cities in Asia.

Right until the late 1980’ies, Beijing was well known as city of cyclists. Since that time, car ownership has increased rapidly in China. Space and facilities were sacrificed to meet the growing needs of automobile traffic.

Nowadays, Beijing’s urban infrastructure can no longer cope with the enormous pressure on traffic facilities from its 18 million inhabitants. Every day, traffic in large parts of the city comes to a standstill. Air quality is extremely poor, mainly as a result of traffic related carbon emissions. Local authorities are being forced to take radical and extreme measures, such as allowing motorists to use the Beijing road system on even or uneven days only. Only electrical mopeds and scooters are allowed. To make things worse, public transport, based on an extensive, high-frequency underground network, cannot meet the demand and is literally overloaded.