[sustran] Fwd: giant step backward in china
Chris Zegras
czegras at MIT.EDU
Tue Mar 27 03:50:28 JST 2001
>
>
>an excerpt from ZNet Commentary / Robin Hahnel / Giant Step Backward /
>>March 25
>
>>
>>In "Bicycle No Longer King of the Road in China" (Washington Post
>>3/12/01) Philip Pan tells us:
>
>>"It was just a little tap, but Song Yuhua had had enough. When the
>>taxicab bumped her bicycle and sent her tumbling onto the pavement, the
>>50-year-old factory worker refused to dust herself off and pedal away.
>>Even after the cabby apologized and cars lined up behind him, Song stood
>>in the polluted haze of the evening rush hour and shook a finger at the
>>long column of frustrated motorists honking their horns at her. 'You're
>>not even supposed to be in this lane!' she cried. 'This is a bike lane!'
>>And for a moment, a lone bicyclist appeared to stop the advance of the
>>automobile in China. But then a police officer intervened, Song yielded
>>and the cars began moving again, allowing China to resume its relentless
>>drive toward a future in which the long-beloved bicycle may be reduced to
>>a toy. For nearly half a century, multitudes of cyclists packed the dusty
>>boulevards of Chinese cities. Now, after decades of steady increases, the
>>number of bicycles on China's streets has begun to fall. There are still
>>nearly twice as many bicycles in China -- 540 million -- as there are
>>people in the United States. But riding one is more of a hassle than
>>ever. Cars rule the roads now, spewing exhaust into cyclists' faces,
>>pushing them into crowded side lanes and striking them with startling
>>frequency. Housing reform has led people to move farther from their jobs,
>>making bicycle commutes increasingly impractical. Less than a decade ago,
>>residents of Beijing mounted their bicycles for 60 percent of all trips
>>in the city, according to Chinese traffic studies. Today, the figure is
>>down to 40 percent. Farther south, in Shanghai and Guangzhou, it has
>>dropped to as low as 20 percent. The masses did not begin to buy bicycles
>>until after the 1949 Communist Revolution, often receiving a government
>>subsidy to do so. Families considered the bicycle a prized possession;
>>women sometimes refused to marry men who did not own one. But bicycle
>>production has been falling since 1995, and almost all the bikes made in
>>China now are exported. Barely 1 million were produced for sale here in
>>1999, compared with more than 30 million just five years earlier,
>>according to government statistics. At the same time, China has been
>>promoting car ownership to boost the nation's auto industry and give the
>>country a more modern image. Car sales are up 15 percent a year. In
>>Beijing alone, the number of cars has nearly tripled to 1.6 million since
>>1993. More often than not, city leaders have sided with the cars. In
>>Guangzhou, they tried to outlaw bikes from downtown completely in 1993,
>>but a popular outcry led to a partial ban instead. In Shanghai, there are
>>plans to force bicycles out of the city center by 2010, and most major
>>streets are already off limits during rush hour. Even in Beijing, home to
>>11 million bicycles, more than any other city in the world, police are
>>experimenting with a ban on a jammed street about a mile northwest of the
>>Forbidden City. An officer there orders bicyclists to dismount; they
>>often respond with colorful curses. 'These roads used to be ours,' said
>>Du Xiaoying, 40, sneaking down the street on her black Flying Pigeon
>>bicycle. 'Now, the cars have taken over. They drive too fast. They even
>>park in our lanes. There's nothing we can do.'
>Like many car drivers, Liu Jianshu, 38, has no patience for bicycle
>nostalgia. 'What kind of country would we be if we were all still riding
>bicycles? This is progress. This is development,' he said. 'Who wants to
>ride a bicycle when you can drive a car?' Many Chinese agree. A recent
>survey in 20 cities by the Association of Chinese Customers found a third
>of urban families plan to buy a car within five years. Such attitudes
>alarm environmentalists. They warn that if the percentage of the
>population owning cars in China reaches Western levels, there would be
>more automobiles here than in the rest of the world combined."
>
>_________________________________________________________________
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--------------------------------------------------
Christopher Zegras
MIT * Center for Environmental Initiatives * Room E40-468
1 Amherst Street * Cambridge, MA 02139
Tel: 617 258 6084 * Fax: 617 253 8013
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