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Treating the auto 'epidemic'
By Pan Zheng |
June 26, 2009, Friday
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THERE'S the tranquil, scenic Hangzhou that we all love, then there's also the Hangzhou of traffic turmoil. Planners are tackling the transport troubles. Pan Zheng takes the wheel.
Traffic congestion is a serious problem in Hangzhou, and urban planners call the rapid increase in private cars an "epidemic."
Drivers commonly joke, "Just park on the road."
Last year Hangzhou had around 1.4 million autos in the city, the number soaring by an average of 5,700 cars a month, according to government statistics.
But the city is tackling the problem, trying to limit the number of autos and unsnarl the traffic.
It also plans to implement a transport blueprint for 2020 calling for integrated transport of all kinds.
There will be 15 major transport hubs of three types for the city, regional and national/international travel. Parking will be convenient and transfers will be easy.
The hub system will link airports, railways, highways, bus service and taxis, as well as special Hangzhou transport, such as free public bicycles and water taxis around the West Lake.
To ease congestion around the West Lake, the government has already built four traffic distribution/routing centers, encouraged people to park in public garages and shift to buses, Metro or other public transport.
In the blueprint, the Wulin Plaza Center will be an integrated three-floor center for Metro, buses and public bicycles. Public car parking will be provided.
The 15 centers will be of three kinds - portals, city terminals and transfer centers.
Portals will mainly connect Hangzhou and other provinces, regions and areas, involving airports, rail, highways and waterways.
City terminals, mostly bus terminals, will connect Hangzhou and neighboring cities, such as Jiaxing and Shaoxing.
Transfer centers will link Metro lines with buses and taxis.
To implement such a vast program, the Hangzhou government is trying to control and limit the rapidly increasing number of automobiles.
In 2008, the Hangzhou government reported nearly 1.4 million autos, increasing by an average of 5,700 cars a month.
This enormous increase - known as a "city epidemic" - is a major cause of traffic jams and parking problems.
Auto emissions seriously worsen the air quality and represent 40 percent of the pollution sources in Hangzhou.
If effective measures are not taken to control the auto epidemic, Hangzhou will be under "intolerable urban pressure," city planners warn.
"Based on the scale and speed of Hangzhou's development, we should take measures to reduce the use of private cars, and promoting public transport would be a very good way to encourage this," says an official with the Traffic Office of the Hangzhou Planning Department.
In recent years, Hangzhou's public transport capacity has been significantly improved with Bus Rapid Transit, BRT and free public bicycles.
Transferring between different transport is getting easier.
Traffic congestion is a serious problem in Hangzhou, and urban planners call the rapid increase in private cars an "epidemic."
Drivers commonly joke, "Just park on the road."
Last year Hangzhou had around 1.4 million autos in the city, the number soaring by an average of 5,700 cars a month, according to government statistics.
But the city is tackling the problem, trying to limit the number of autos and unsnarl the traffic.
It also plans to implement a transport blueprint for 2020 calling for integrated transport of all kinds.
There will be 15 major transport hubs of three types for the city, regional and national/international travel. Parking will be convenient and transfers will be easy.
The hub system will link airports, railways, highways, bus service and taxis, as well as special Hangzhou transport, such as free public bicycles and water taxis around the West Lake.
To ease congestion around the West Lake, the government has already built four traffic distribution/routing centers, encouraged people to park in public garages and shift to buses, Metro or other public transport.
In the blueprint, the Wulin Plaza Center will be an integrated three-floor center for Metro, buses and public bicycles. Public car parking will be provided.
The 15 centers will be of three kinds - portals, city terminals and transfer centers.
Portals will mainly connect Hangzhou and other provinces, regions and areas, involving airports, rail, highways and waterways.
City terminals, mostly bus terminals, will connect Hangzhou and neighboring cities, such as Jiaxing and Shaoxing.
Transfer centers will link Metro lines with buses and taxis.
To implement such a vast program, the Hangzhou government is trying to control and limit the rapidly increasing number of automobiles.
In 2008, the Hangzhou government reported nearly 1.4 million autos, increasing by an average of 5,700 cars a month.
This enormous increase - known as a "city epidemic" - is a major cause of traffic jams and parking problems.
Auto emissions seriously worsen the air quality and represent 40 percent of the pollution sources in Hangzhou.
If effective measures are not taken to control the auto epidemic, Hangzhou will be under "intolerable urban pressure," city planners warn.
"Based on the scale and speed of Hangzhou's development, we should take measures to reduce the use of private cars, and promoting public transport would be a very good way to encourage this," says an official with the Traffic Office of the Hangzhou Planning Department.
In recent years, Hangzhou's public transport capacity has been significantly improved with Bus Rapid Transit, BRT and free public bicycles.
Transferring between different transport is getting easier.
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