Travel
New bus lanes to ease congestion
By Cui Xiaohuo (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-12-02 09:50
Traffic police have opened nine designated bus lanes on some of the city's most notoriously congested roads.
The traffic authority said the special lanes were opened on Monday on Zhongguancun East Road, Fuxing Road, Shijingshan Road and Yaojiayuan Road, which are all notoriously busy roads.
"These roads have more commercial and residential establishments in recent years and the bus services in the areas are greatly affected. With the designated bus lanes, the public transportation efficiency will be improved," said the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau.
The new lanes are about 20 km in length and bring the total length in the city to about 300 km.
Since Monday, no private or government vehicles have been allowed into the bus lanes between 7 am and 9 am, and then from 5 pm to 7 pm.
Residents near the Yaojiayuan Road yesterday said the 4.6 km east-west road is usually deadlocked during rush hour traffic, as tens of thousands of commuters travel towards the East Fourth Ring Road and the East Fifth Ring Road.
"Yaojiayuan Road has been a headache for years, with buses and private cars fighting for lanes," said a woman surnamed Ji, who lives in Chaoyang Xincheng, a residential compound beside the road. "The road was jammed last week and my daughter was late for school twice." However, the bus lanes have upset some motorists. Liu Xusheng, a taxi driver, said that he felt drivers were being ignored.
"Separating buses and private cars is not the best solution. That means taxis and other vehicles have fewer lanes to use," he said.
"The traffic police should patrol more in these areas and help keep the traffic flow in order."
