Domestic Practices
These five strategies are currently being implemented through a series of initiatives, several of which are described in this section.
Central Government Policies to Guide Development
In 2004, the Ministry of Construction, as the administration responsible for urban public transportation, promulgated Document No. 38 (DUC, 2010) regarding the prioritized development of urban public transportation.
In 2005, the General Office of the State Council issued the “The Guideline on Giving Priority to the Development of Urban Public Transportation” (No. 46 [2005] of the General Office of the State Council) (MOHURD, 2005), which was jointly developed by six ministries, including the Ministry of Construction, the State Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Land and Resources. At the end of 2005, the Ministry of Construction, in conjunction with four other ministries and commissions, printed and distributed the document “Opinions about Several Economic Policies Relating to Giving Priority to the Development of Urban Public Transportation.”
The “Regulations on Urban Public Transportation” – China's first administrative traffic law – is going through its final draft and is expected to be promulgated and implemented soon.
Some local governments have also successfully launched relevant supporting policies regarding giving priority to the development of public transportation.
“Public Transportation Activity Week” and “Car-free Day”
Since 2007, the “Urban Public Transportation Week and Car-Free Day” event has been organized nationwide for four consecutive years to raise social awareness. After 2008, the event was renamed as “Car-Free Day.” On September 22 of each year, traffic is restricted on certain streets and blocks in participating cities, where only public buses, trolley buses, and specially authorized automobiles are allowed to pass through. Currently, there are a total of 129 cities that have signed the Letter of Commitment for Car-Free Day. During this annual event, a theme highlighting the concept of green travel is established, public service announcements are broadcast on TV, and widespread community promotion is also carried out through publicity brochures.
Previous Car-Free Day themes were as follows: •
“Green Transportation and Health,” 2007; • “People-Friendly Streets,” 2008; • “Healthy and Eco-Friendly Transportation: Walking and Cycling,” 2009; • “Green Transportation, Low-Carbon Life Style,” 2010 (see Fig. 3).
Development and Construction of Facilities for Rail Transport and Bus Rapid Transit
By the end of 2008, 30 high-speed urban rail transport lines were operating in 10 different cities in mainland China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Nanjing, Shenzhen, Changchun, Dalian, and Wuhan, with the total length of the operating lines reaching 769 km.
By the year 2015, there are plans for the number of urban rail transport lines to reach 72, the total length of these lines will be 2,232 km, and the total investment will be 799.2 billion yuan RMB.
By 2009, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) was operating in a total of 10 different Chinese cities, including Beijing, Hangzhou, Kunming, Jinan, Changzhou, Hefei, Xiamen, Dalian, Chongqing, and Zhengzhou; the combined length of the lines exceeded 300 km. As China's first BRT project, the South Central Axis BRT Pilot Project in Beijing was completed and up and running at the end of 2005. The passenger volume exceeded 50,000 on Day 1 and is now stabilized at about 100,000 daily passengers. The number of one-way passengers being transported during peak hours is 10,000, and the average traveling speed is 22–26 km/h (see Fig. 4).
Implementing a Low Ticket Price Policy and Enhancing the Appeal of Public Transportation
Beijing City has launched a unified subway ticket price of 2 yuan RMB, and offers a 60% discount to those passengers who use bus ticket pass cards so that they need only to pay 0.4 yuan RMB for a single bus ride.
Shanghai has launched a downtown bus line and rail transport transfer discount program, which provides a 1 yuan RMB discount per person per ride, that is, there will be 1 yuan less for people transfer between bus and rail transport. During nonpeak hours, elderly people over the age of 70 can ride buses free of charge.
Shenzhen City has launched pass card discounts and transfer discounts; the ticket price for buses has been reduced by an average of 25%.
Hefei City has now begun a special ticket price policy, including 1 yuan tickets in cash, a 10% discount for prepaid electronic bus cards, a 65% discount for students, relevant discounts for the most needy, and completely free rides for people above 70 years of age.
Construction of Transport Hubs to Connect Regional Infrastructure
Several cities have invested in transport hubs to connect to long-distance rail and to airports. Beijing City has planned eight passenger transport centers, while the transport hubs at the South Beijing Railway Station, Beijing Zoo, and Liuliqiao are already completed and in operation.
In addition to the hubs in Beijing, a group of modern transport hubs such as the Hongqiao Hub in Shanghai and the Futian Transport Complex in Shenzhen has also been completed and is operating fully.
Tianjin City has taken up a huge project and set up a specialized station construction and investment company, performed comprehensive upgrades and transformations to bus stations, bus stops, public transport infrastructure, and service facilities within the downtown area, and had completed the task of building and retrofitting 90 public transport stations by the end of 2007.
Encourage Walking and Cycling
Building a Public Bicycle Service Network
By the end of 2009, the number of public bicycle service locations in Hangzhou had increased to 2,204. With a service location every 100 m and with 50,000 bikes available for use, the average daily volume of rentals exceeded 250,000; on average, each bike was being rented five times daily, and the average usage time was 1 hour for 90% of borrowers. Hangzhou has already become the largest public bicycle transport and travel system with the highest rental volume in China. Bicycle service stations in Hangzhou now serve such functions as meeting citizens’ short-distance travel needs, solving the last-kilometer problem of public transport and offering transport services to scenic spots (see Fig. 5).
As of June 2009, the total number of service locations completed and operating in Shanghai was around 100; according to the existing network construction plan, approximately 500 more locations were in operation by the end of 2009 (see Fig. 6).
Promote Walking and Cycling Demo Projects
Walking and bicycle transport system demonstration projects were carried out in six cities and districts, including the Yuzhong Peninsula in Chongqing City, the central downtown area of Hangzhou City, the main downtown area of Jinan City, the Panlong River area and Daguan River coast of Kunming City, the Hongqiao district and Cultural district of Changshu City, and the West New Town and the Huaqiao International Service Business Park of Kunshan City. Based on user experience, walking and cycling planning guidelines are being further developed and promoted.
Travel Demand Management with Public Transportation as the Priority
In 2005, Shenzhen City increased parking fee rates within its central downtown area; after implementing the new pricing scheme, the traffic flow in the central downtown area dropped by nearly 4% (Shenzhen Commercial Daily, 2006). Meanwhile, Shenzhen City also began a study on the feasibility of charging a road congestion fee, which could offer a new model for managing transport needs (Jiang, 2011).
Hangzhou City is also performing a feasibility study on phasing out the access of cars into areas surrounding the West Lake scenic spot (CAUPD, 2008a). Also, cities like Suzhou are ready to make adjustments to their traffic-control policies in order to protect their historic towns (CAUPD, 2006).
The new anti-congestion policy enacted at the end of 2010 in Beijing allows for control on the total number of motor vehicles through the implementation of a raffle in which permits to obtain license plates are drawn. At the same time, Beijing increased parking fee rates in the central downtown area. These policies have not only impacted on traffic levels in Beijing but will also influence the traffic management policies of other cities in China.
Green Transportation within the Construction of Ecological Cities and New Downtown Districts
In recent years, exploration into implementing green sustainable transportation concepts has been carried out in the construction of new towns, including in the Tianjin Eco-City and Guangzhou Knowledge City. The Tianjin Eco-City focuses on the hybrid use of land lots and a combination of public transportation and land use. The local work force accounts for 65% of all jobs, each of the grass root community centers is within a 300 m walking distance, each of the residential community centers is within a 500 m walking distance, and 80% of all destinations are within a 3 km distance. The frequency of travel by means of public transportation is less than 25% and the frequency of travel by cars is less than 10% of total travel. At the same time, the “non-motor vehicle dedicated road system” was established to achieve the goal of ensuring that frequency of travel by means of nonmotor vehicles within the town would be no less than 70% (CAUPD, 2008b).
The construction plan for the new town of Beichuan County, rebuilt at a new location after the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake, included proposals aimed at making walking and cycling the major means of transportation. A bicycle system was established to serve various functions such as meeting the needs of daily life, sightseeing, and fitness. The a