Calls for well-developed transport
Print Edition
A WELL-DEVELOPED public transportation is “the only solution to traffic problems in a metropolis like Shanghai,” Mayor Yang Xiong said yesterday.
“Compared to Metro, medium-capacity traffic is less developed in Shanghai,” he said.
Chen Bizhuang, general engineer of Shanghai Urban-Rural Construction and Transportation Development Research Institute, said that “medium-capacity traffic projects should only be put into use on the premise of a comprehensive study of practical road situations and passengers’ needs.”
“Medium-capacity traffic projects like tram and electric buses have their advantages,” he said.
“They are faster than normal buses and have a larger capacity. Compared to Metro, they require less investment and construction time.”
Chen said that trams usually operate at a speed of 20-25kph, while the average speed for subway trains and buses is 35kph and 15kph, respectively.
He said also that “compared to the Metro, medium-capacity traffic projects take up more road resources and affect other road traffic as they occupy a special lane.”
“We should carefully study the needs of passengers along Yan’an Road before deciding the details like the locations of stops. Similar studies should be made before medium-capacity traffic projects are applied to other major roads in Shanghai,” he said.
Shanghai plans to build a 14-kilometer long medium-capacity traffic project along Yan’an Road, which is one of the busiest roads in the city.
According to a preliminary plan, 18-meter-long electric buses will transport passengers along the route, which will connect the districts of Huangpu, Jing’an and Changning.
The bus lanes will be in the middle of the road.
“The project along Yan’an Road will be a test,” Yang said.
“Such a system can be applied to other major roads in the future if proven to be efficient.”
He was speaking during a radio program that was arranged for him to discuss traffic issues with the public.
A medium-capacity traffic system usually has an hourly capacity of 15,000 passengers, which is less than a third of that of the Metro, Yang said.
Trams and some electric public buses fall into the category, and they are a good supplement to a subway system, he said.
Such traffic systems usually need special tracks or lanes in the middle of the road to assure the efficiency of their operation, he added.
The Shanghai government is staging a citywide crackdown on traffic violations.
It is designed to “build up a better transportation order.”
The illegal occupation of public bus lanes is a common violation.
“Shanghai has 300km of bus-only lanes, and 200km more will be built by the end of 2020,” Yang said.
“The management of the bus lanes will be one of our major tasks in the future.” he said.
“Car owners will give up their cars and seek public transportation to ease road congestion only when buses become an efficient choice.”
Yang also said that the government has applied to the Shanghai Committee of National People’s Congress to have the current traffic laws and regulations revised to meet “practical needs.”
“Some terms in the current laws are outdated,” he said.
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