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Urban Transport

Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning – SUMP – is coming to China!

SUMP Circle

All over the world, many cities are facing increasing levels of traffic congestion, road safety issues, as well as carbon and air pollutant emissions. In particular, the better integration of transport and urban planning is seen as a key to mitigate these effects and to create more livable cities. To promote smart and integrated urban mobility planning, the European Commission, in 2013, published the “Guidelines on Developing and Implementing A Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan”. Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans, also known as SUMP, aim at satisfying the mobility needs of people and businesses while improving the quality of life. The SUMP concept has been successfully applied in various countries around the world. In order to adapt to the current mobility trends, such as vehicle automation, vehicle electrification, shared mobility and their implications in the public transport systems, the SUMP guidelines were recently updated in their second edition, which you can find…

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Transportation Policy

Outline for Building China’s Strength in Transport – How China Wants to Become a Global Transport Superpower

by Sebastian Ibold and Jingzhu Li Contents Background Long-Term Strategic Development of China’s Transport Sector in Two Phases Nine Key Tasks to Implement the Outline for Building China’s Strength in TransportSummary Background On September 19th, 2019, the Outline for Building China’s Strength in Transport was released. The document was approved by the Communist Party of China Central Committee (CPCCC) and the State Council and describes the future vision and roadmap of China’s transport sector with a clear message: China wants to become a global transport superpower by 2050. The original text of the policy can be found here. The first mention to the Outline for Building China’s Strength in Transport dates back to January 18th, 2017, when the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) held a kick-off meeting on “strategic research on China’s strength in transportation”. The policy was since then elaborated by a drafting group headed by Vice Premier Liu…

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Articles

Beijing’s First Bicycle Highway

According to Katie Melua, there are nine-million bicycles in Beijing – and the city is working on bringing bicycles back to the roads by making cycling more safe and thus convenient. But Beijing is also exploring new ways to make cycling more attractive. In May 2019, the city’s first “bicycle highway” was opened to the public. The 6.5 km long partially elevated cycling-only road, which was designed by the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport (BMCT), is connecting Huilongguan and the Zhongguancun High-Tech Area in Northern Beijing, offering safe, convenient and fast traveling to more than 8,000 commuters daily. Beijing’s First Bicycle Highway *If problems with playing the video occur, this may be due to country-specific internet restrictions. Back to the Kingdom of Bicyle Not so long ago, bikes were ubiquitous in China. As the dominating form of transportation, for the wealthy and working classes alike, the country had more than…

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Articles

The Evolution of Free-Floating Bike-Sharing in China

The evolution of free-floating bike-sharing in China Authors: Sebastian Ibold, Dr. Christoph Nedopil Review: Sandra Retzer, Tina Huang, Florian Ibold Since the explosive growth of free-floating bike-sharing in China starting in 2016, it has been described as one of the country’s hottest industries. China’s official state-run press agency Xinhua called it one of the “four great new inventions” in modern times (the other three being e-commerce, high-speed rail and mobile-payment). The bike-sharing industry was praised for providing a healthy lifestyle and a key to achieve more sustainable urban transport systems, with the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution significantly. The expectations put on free-floating bike-sharing were no less than reviving the “kingdom of bicycles”. But instead of a smooth bike-ride, the bike sharing industry in China has experienced nothing short of a roller-coaster ride: From 2016 onwards, a growing number of start-ups entered the bike-sharing market, resulting…

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Transportation Policy

Express Delivery – China publishes Provisional Regulations

For four years in a row, China has been delivering the world’s largest express delivery volume, exceeding 40 billion consignments in 2017 (see here). In comparison: The German express delivery volume was projected to reach more than 3,3 billion for the same year (see here). As a result of a stronger Chinese e-commerce sector, the express delivery industry has been rapidly growing for a decade, which has consequently increased traffic volume. This has several negative effects on traffic as well as on the environment: Increased congestion causes noise pollution and affects air quality due to higher emissions, which in turn impacts urban Chinese living quality. In the “Provisional Regulations for Express Delivery in China”, the Chinese State Council stipulates guidelines to promote the domestic express delivery industry. While the regulations focuses on safe deliveries and improving the overall situation within this sector, the State Council also suggests various measures to…

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Electro Mobility

Trends and challenges in electric-bus development in China

Development of Electro Mobility in China The development and use of electric buses in China has risen significantly over the past 5 to 10 years, driven by national energy policies to diversify source of energies and to improve urban air quality. As an additional benefit, decision makers also see the opportunity to promote the domestic automotive industry. In the overall electro mobility development, China has become a global forerunner: it is home to the biggest number of pure electric, hybrid, and hydrogen fuel cells new energy vehicles (NEVs) in the world. The annual sales of NEVs has increased by an average of 86.5% from 2009 to 2017. In 2017 alone, 777,000 electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles were sold, topping the world for three consecutive years according to China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM). The number of recorded new energy vehicles in China is 1.8 million, accounting for over half of…

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Transportation Policy

Guideline on barrier-free transport in China

Accessibility and barrier free infrastructures and environments are important indicators for sustainable development. In particular in cities, people who experience disabilities, often face challenges and discrimination regarding the equal participation in using the urban public spaces or infrastructures. This counts especially for public transportation systems. It is often difficult for people with disabilities but also to the elderly to enter subways, railway stations or similar facilities, as these are often not equipped with corresponding facilities, such as elevators, ramps or blind and deaf-friendly signage. To ensure a barrier free development of transportation infrastructure, related facilities and travels, China published a guideline on improving transportation services for the elderly and the disabled. The guideline was jointly released by the MOT, the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the China Disabled Persons’ Federation and four other departments on January 12th, 2018. By this China sets up a guiding framework for the establishment…

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