China Wants to Keep 'Kingdom of Bicycles' Status

"In Beijing alone, it is estimated that 1,000 new cars every day are added to an already appalling traffic snarl-up. Until now, urban planners have tried to make room for these economic engines by building thousands of miles of multi-lane roads, often at the expense of bike lanes." Qiu Baoxing, a vice-minister with the Ministry of Construction, said it was important for China to retain its title as the "kingdom of bicycles. The Ministry recently instructed that any bike lanes that have been narrowed or destroyed to make way for cars in recent years must be returned to their original use. In addition, the government said that all civil servants should bicycle to work or take public transport to reduce smog.