Beijing takes a wrong turn, follows US folly of promoting consumerism with #publictransit fare hike

Xinhua : "BEIJING, Dec. 28 (Xinhuanet) -- New fares are now in place on Beijing's public transport. Having come into effect on Sunday, the new system doubles the current prices on average, but does include some discount schemes.

A new pricing policy ending a 7-year economical travelling in the Chinese capital."

武汉治理拥堵推行错峰上下班 将实施公交免费换乘_新浪湖北_新浪网

武汉治理拥堵推行错峰上下班 将实施公交免费换乘_新浪湖北_新浪网: "明年7月18日，调整后的公交网络开始运营，同步实施优惠换乘。

　　推错峰上下班上下学缓拥堵

　　据介绍，错峰上下班、上下学主要有两个方案。

　　武汉党政机关、事业单位、社会团体，以及商业企业在早晚高峰错开上下班时间——倡导中央在汉、省级党政机关上午上班时间为8：00。市级党政机关上午上班时间为8：30。倡导在汉事业单位、社会团体上午上班时间为8：30～9：00。倡导商业企业上午上班时间为9：00以后。指导新城区工业企业根据实际情况自行调整上午上班时间。

　　武汉中小学、幼儿园错峰上学——认真执行国家课程计划，严格学校作息时间，开展教学常规检查，督促学校不得无故延长学生在校时间，特别是不得将放学时间和社会上下班时间重叠。开展小学生日托管理实验，进一步错开社会上下班时间，减缓因学生上下学引发的交通拥堵问题。"



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Beijing to carry out 110 measures on public transportation

CCTV.com: "Apart from the price adjustments, Beijing is rolling out a slew of measures to provide better services to passengers.

Four new subway lines will be operational by the end of this year. More bus lanes will be set aside on major roads and expressways. Passengers will be able to monitor subway traffic in real-time via the Internet so as to plan their commute more effectively.

Improved transportation system will ensure that in three years, 90 percent of the passengers in the capital can walk within one kilometre to the nearest subway station. All buses will also be equipped with air conditioners."

河南多地已推广公共自行车 郑州何时才能实现？

郑州新闻: "中原网讯（记者 詹莉莉 文/图）昨日上午，郑州晚报记者从全省城市公共交通工作会议上获悉，许昌、濮阳、驻马店、济源、永城等城市已推广公共自行车交通。许昌市目前公共自行车站点为55个、投放自行车1200辆；明年计划站点达到200个，自行车投放达5000辆。"

China goes into deep water for energy, will find only disaster

China is trying to be like the US. Why? Why the mad dash for more energy when energy is just wasted on cars and sprawl? Profits for the elite. Expect disastrous accidents and spills. Meanwhile global warming continues.

rigzone: "China finally realized its goal of finding petroleum reserves in deepwater acreage when state-owned China National Offshore Corp. (CNOOC) successfully drilled the Lingshui 17-2-1 exploration well at the Lingshui 17-2 gas field in the South China Sea, located 93 miles (150 kilometers) south of Hainan Island in the Qiongdongnan Basin."

Hearing Scheduled on Price Changes for Beijing's Public Transport

cri.cn : "A hearing will be scheduled regarding the coming price adjustment of Beijing's public transport, according to the city's Development and Reform Commission.

The commission solicited public advice and received more than 40,000 pieces within 18 days. People are most concerned with the increase of fares, while suggesting a reasonable price range and different ticketing systems for special groups of people, such as students and senior citizens."

Major cities in China in need of more public transport

CCTV.com English: "Today is Global Car Free Day. But since it falls on a Monday, heavy traffic is inevitable, especially in China’s capital. "

为高陵免费公交点个赞|拥堵|城市_凤凰资讯

为高陵免费公交点个赞|拥堵|城市_凤凰资讯: "8月28日早晨起，高陵县城的市民可以享受第二条免费公交线路109路了。这是继去年高陵县开通陕西省首条免费公交101路后，将原先的免费公交线路范围完善扩大。读后犹如一股暖流涌向心头。情不自禁要为高陵免费公交点个赞。"

Cars choking Beijing

Bloomberg: "Growing pains in the Chinese capital of 21.1 million are on full display -- from the clogged roads around Tiananmen Square to the brown haze choking its residents. Beijing was the second most-inhospitable international city behind Moscow out of 40 studied by the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, according to a report released in February."

China BRT, 43% of riders switched from driving cars

多个蒙特利尔郊区市镇提供免费公交服务

多个蒙特利尔郊区市镇提供免费公交服务: "自两年前Chambly等蒙特利尔南郊市镇提供免费公共交通后，现在又有Candiac等三个城镇步其后尘。市政当局希望通过提供免费公交服务鼓励人们少开车，同时吸引人们前来定居。"

Seniors ride free in Shanghai, China

13.4b yuan from sales | Shanghai Daily: "Some 3 billion yuan of this was used for the expansion and maintenance on the Metro. Another 1.9 billion yuan was spent subsidizing buying buses, while 920 million yuan went to subsidize public transport transfer discounts.

And 590 million yuan was used to provide free public transport for seniors, with 580 million yuan spent on the public transport infrastructure and 350 million yuan for other subsidies.

A total of 6 billion yuan left over in 2013 will be spent on the public transport in the coming years."

Beijing - Transportation expert admits that fares are for rationing, not revenue

chinanews|ecns|cns: "According to a China Youth Daily survey, 52.8 percent of the 2,282 respondents oppose any increase in public transport fares. Those who oppose such a move regard fiscal subsidies for public transportation as reasonable, with many even saying that subsidies are an indispensable part of vital public services.

... Wang Mengshu, a transportation expert and academic with the Chinese Academy of Engineering, told 21st Century Business Herald that the Beijing subway fare reform is aimed at reducing passenger flow to strengthen security rather than earning more revenue. But the question is: What other modes of transport can the passengers use? As the media say, people use the metro to commute to and from work more out of compulsion and less by choice because they can avoid traffic jams. As long as the flow of road traffic doesn't improve drastically, it will not be easy to divert commuters from the subway to buses even if metro ticket prices are increased."

Sina Weibo users respond to fare-increase request-for-comments by calling for #freetransit

#北京公共交通调价前征民意# 给出的选项都是涨，为什么不是降价或者免费？第四个选项“我说了算么”。当民众选择投票给“我说了算么”的时候，这不是对政府信心的极大丧失吗？公交作为公众设施，就应该免费！

#北京公共交通调价# 为了减少雾霾，应该免费或设置免费日。

#北京公共交通调价#一看要调价，大家都认为要涨价。不是还能往下调吗？为啥不大家都提意见，要求更便宜，比如，地面公交免费，这样地铁没那么挤了，鼓励大家更多乘坐公交，路上车少了，污染少了，拥堵少了，这不是太好的政策吗？ 我点评了

公交公司又想涨价了！还拉着发改委搞民意测验！公共交通应该免费！还讨论个屁！

#北京公共交通调价# 北京公共交通调价你怎么看？ 不支持涨价，低票价更利于鼓励公共交通出行，公共交通最好免费，也为了一点环保。现在私家车很多，还有堵车，所以不能涨价。 详情

Beijing polls public opinion on transit fare hikes

People's Daily Online: "BEIJING - Beijing municipal authorities on Thursday launched public transportation reform, soliciting public comments on price hikes on bus and subway fares.
Beijing authorities have begun polling the public's opinion on a possible hike in fares for the city's public transport system on Thursday."

Beijing bike-share - first hour is free

GlobalPost: "After paying a refundable deposit of 200 yuan (32 U.S. dollars), Beijingers can borrow the bikes free of charge for the first hour and for 1 yuan per hour thereafter. They can pick up a bike in one place and return it to any other depot."

Ulaanbaatar’s traffic chokes the economy

UBPost News: "The issue is as important as it is endemic: congestion can reduce a city’s GDP by up to five percent according to the Asian Development Bank, and the World Bank estimates that traffic accidents cost an additional one to two percent of GDP, and that the full economic cost of air pollution can be up to 10 percent. Issues of public health, environmental sustainability, economic efficiency, and social welfare all stem from a problem with urban transport."

China admits to failures over air quality

usatoday: "BEIJING — A senior Chinese government official has admitted that most major Chinese cities fail national standards for good air quality."

China looking more like USA every day. Seeking oil and creating "terrorists."

smh.com : "The toll from the deadly blasts at a morning market in Urumqi was likely to rise, state media said, as outrage over the worst attack in a recent terror wave threatened to exacerbate ethnic divisions in China’s troubled far-western region of Xinjiang."

China copies USA, hordes oil. #peakoil #collapse

Telegraph: "China is stockpiling oil for its strategic petroleum reserve at a record pace, intervening on a scale large enough to send a powerful pulse through the world crude market.
The move comes as tensions mount in the South China Sea, and the West prepares possible oil sanctions against Russia over the crisis in Eastern Ukraine. Analysts believe China is quietly building up buffers against a possible spike in oil prices or disruptions in supply."

Oil running out, either cut back, or expect more war

The Washington Post: "A showdown between Chinese and Vietnamese ships near the Paracel Islands has put a spotlight on long-standing and bitter maritime disputes. The stakes are high, with Beijing claiming sovereignty over much of the strategically important waters — among the world’s busiest transport lanes and believed to contain significant oil and gas reserves."

High-speed rail link delay highlights need for MTR management shake-up

South China Morning Post: "The announcement led transport chief Anthony Cheung Bing-leung to say he had "over-trusted" the corporation's progress reports and to pledge more supervision. He joined activists and politicians in saying that the government - which owns a 77 per cent stake - should take more control of the company. Some suggested the government should take back full ownership of the corporation."

Demand for energy the cause of pain in Xinjiang

Insight - In China's Xinjiang, economic divide seen fuelling ethnic unrest | Reuters: "Resource-rich and strategically located on the borders of central Asia, Xinjiang is key to China's growing energy needs.

Estimates put Xinjiang's coal reserves at about 38 percent of the national total, while it already produces 13 of China's crude oil output and 30 percent of the country's natural gas.

..."China would like this to be an issue of separatism," the scholar said. "You can roll a tank in to solve a separatist issue. How do you ask the Chinese government to solve this kind of policy grievance without fundamentally reforming itself? It can't happen.""

Hong Kong shows how buses are a transition from cars to trams

SCMP Pictures

Joint study proposes vehicle-ban for cleaner air on Des Voeux Road Central | South China Morning Post: "Busy Des Voeux Road Central in the heart of Hong Kong's business district should be transformed into a bus-free zone so that pedestrians and office workers can breathe cleaner air, the Institute of Planners has suggested to the government."

潍坊65岁以上老人免费坐公交 28万老年人获益

--潍坊--人民网: "在市政府今年承诺的25件民生实事中,关于改善群众生活方面,全市65周岁以上老年人免费乘坐公交车列上日程表。4月22日,记者从市老龄办获悉,自今年7月1日开始,65周岁以上老年人免费乘坐公交车将变为现实。根据相关规定,凡持有潍坊市市辖区常住户口或由市公安部门核发《居住证》的65周岁以上(含)老年人,均可办理老年免费公交卡,免费的线路是潍坊市公交总公司所属的所有公交线路(租赁线路除外)。"

為何說中國已具備免費公共交通可能 - 馬慶雲 - 馬慶雲 - 和訊博客

為何說中國已具備免費公共交通可能 - 馬慶雲 - 馬慶雲 - 和訊博客: "針對城市日漸嚴重的交通堵塞與環境汙染問題，公共交通一直被稱作綠色出行方式，也是政府建議民眾出行的首選方式。反觀北京地鐵，在霧控京畿的情況下，本應該發揮自己的綠色主導優勢，降價才對，相反，它們卻做起提價的事情來。令人不可思議。針對北京、石家莊兩地發生的這兩起事件，筆者難免想到一個問題，中國是否已經具備了實現免費公共交通的可能性了呢？答案是肯定的，容我仔細說來。

很多網友一聽到免費公共交通，立馬想到的，就是財政補貼公共交通設施，用財政傾斜來惠及百姓。關於這種方式，我倒是查了一些資料。好像成都的一些公交車一直是免費乘坐的。廣州的地鐵，也在亞運會期間免費過。這些依靠財政補貼方式實現免費化，並不稀奇。而很少網友註意到，實際上，公共交通系統至今屬於壟斷系統，其內部急需精兵簡政，大量的財政傾斜，都浪費在不必要的人力上。我們在希望公共交通免費的同時，雖然可以忽悠財政傾斜，但更應該註意這些內部的體制臃腫問題，爭取，花最少的財政錢，辦最大化的公共交通事。"

China oil leak poisons water for millions

Oil companies throw caution to the wind to keep costs down.

Peak Oil News and Message Boards: "The scare, which has affected more than 2.4 million people in the northwestern city of Lanzhou, has once again raised concerns over safety of China’s oil pipes.

Last year, a ruptured oil pipeline resulted in explosions in the eastern city of Qingdao, killing 62 people."

Candidate for governor in Korea calls for #freetransit

All Aboard the Election Express - Korea Real Time - WSJ: "On March 31, Gyeonggi gubernatorial candidate Kim Sang-gon unveiled as a core campaign pledge a commuter-bus program he calls “Morning Spent While Seated.” which aims to ensure commuters all get seats on buses.

It would add hundreds of buses between Seoul and its satellite cities, and ultimately make the service free of charge."

Using Public Transportation Can Be a Good Work-out

Be Korea-savvy: "If one commutes using mass transportation for five days in a week, 4,120 kcal more energy is burned each month, adding up to 49,440 kcal more consumed each year. Such an amount is equivalent to about a 6.42-kg (14.15-pound) weight loss considering that 1 kg of fat can be lost for every 7,700 kcal."

Heilongjiang Province to invest USD 200 million in bus upgrade

World Bank: "The project will improve pavement conditions, install bus stops, and provide heated indoor bus waiting facilities. It will also procure buses that use clean fuel and are accessible for disabled people, construct passenger hubs, terminal, bus depots, and facilities for maintenance, safety education and training of bus drivers. The project will deploy Intelligent Transport Solutions and other information technology to improve the efficiency and management of bus operations. "

Public transport a hot topic in Korean election

Campaign pledges on transport: "“About 60 percent of the total of 9.6 million in the economically active population has a hard time commuting to Seoul,” said Kim Sang-kon, former superintendent of the Gyeonggi Province, who is running as a candidate of the New Politics Alliance for Democracy (NPAD). “A new governor should come up with effective solutions to resolve this.”"

Nanchong - 18 buses free 3 days for "French Week"

_新浪房产_新浪网: "(见习记者 罗琴 )距离3月28日“2014四川(南充)·法国周”活动开幕越来越近了。25日下午，记者从市公交公司了解到，3月29日、30日、31日三天时间，为方便市民到达“法国周”现场观看文艺演出、参观特色商品展，市公交公司将专门规划三条公交线路，共计投入18辆公交车，供市民免费乘坐。"

China Tongguan county adopts free public transport

潼关群众体验免费公交:不要钱当然好比坐三轮摩的安全_新华网陕西频道: " 原标题：陕西首个县城开通免费公交 潼关居民纷纷体验
    “免费”两个字总是很吸引人的，在渭南潼关县，当地老百姓这两天都在传递一个消息：出门坐车逛走，坐车不要钱。
    记者：潼关县在昨天（3月12日）不但首次开通了县城内的公交车，而且让大家高兴的是，新开通的三条线路全部免费。
    当地群众：免费好啊。"

China government trying to crush communism

NYTimes.com: "With its emphasis on organic farming, earthy spirituality and unconventional forms of kinship, the New Oasis communes were a beacon for people of all stripes who sought escape from the smog, graft and social conservatism of contemporary Chinese life. Over the last five years, whole families, rural neighbors and disaffected young urbanites moved to Yunnan and built the three settlements of look-alike brick houses topped by red metal roofs on a total of 145 acres, or about 60 hectares, of farmland."

New free bus in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia

Xinhua Inner Channel: "It is understood that "the cloud One" free bus operators Hohhot area counties line is the first to open the first of the free bus lines. Via Dongsheng Street, cloud Road, Tuoketuo street three urban Main Street, one-way 13 km. Let the old city communities, cloud markets, hospitals, national secondary schools, sixth elementary school, vocational school, public square, Deal asked a district middle school down the line 16 sites. Hours of operation for the summer first class 6:00 to 19:00 that last winter that last first class 6:00 to 18:00. Investment in new energy vehicles six bus operators, with the driver 12, one-way operating hours 25 minutes per trip departure time interval of about 15 minutes, 48 ​​times a day for hair operators. "Cloud One" free bus operators will greatly facilitate the care dedicated county area people daily travel, to ease traffic pressure and improve travel conditions for the masses, to enhance the image of the county, play a positive role in promoting."

Cars are the downfall of the United States

The U.S. is dependent on cars, and therefore dependent on oil. This has forced it to invade other countries and has drained its economy.

Because the system of cars is so complex and extensive, the U.S. cannot change quickly. Every day oil is more expensive. This will cause the U.S. to take more desperate actions to save its economy.

Dongying, Shandong Laiwu, free public transport for seniours

Dongying, Shandong Laiwu after over 60 years to achieve free by bus: "Qilu Network reporter today from Laiwu Municipal Information Office official microblogging @ Laiwu release informed, to enable older people to fully enjoy the fruits of social development, to further facilitate the elderly to travel, Laiwu municipal government plans to invest 7.8 million yuan to achieve Laiwu 60 years more urban and rural elderly "free ride" dream."

Sihong, China, free public transport for Spring Festival, 245,000 trips free.

Sina News: "January 25 to 30, 318 urban and rural bus bound for Sihong county's 23 townships all free ride. 6 days time, a total of 7666 grid frequency, sending passengers 245,000 passengers, the cumulative savings for the local people to travel toll 1.2253 million yuan.

　Before the Spring Festival, Sihong five rural and urban public transport enterprises to return to the community, launched the "six days free bus ride" activities, to facilitate the return of migrant visiting friends and relatives, to participate in large-scale enterprises in the park job fairs, agricultural fairs, exhibitions, by the praise the masses."



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Shanghai legislators call for #freetransit for an additional 380,000 seniors

ecns.cn : "Currently, seniors over 70 do not pay on public transport during non-rush hours. The transport companies are compensated by the city government from the car plate auction funds.

Many legislators want the age limit for subsidized travel for seniors brought down to 65, but Sun said that would burden the transport system.

"We will first start with the age classification scheme and then extend the free services after the public transport is fully upgraded," he said."

Wuhu, China, disabled ride buses free and new bike share a success

Wuhu-english: " The cards implement free transfers within 40 minutes, a "pregnant women badge," and free rides for the disabled and candidates taking high school or college entrance exams. To implement the service benchmarking project, the first star driver, star line service will be listed. To promote the modernization of public transportation through informationization, Wuhu city completed technical transformation of mobile phone cards last year. and online recharge system, unifying operational kilometer, fuel consumption, IC card and pocketbook data into GPS platform management.

In November last year, a public bike rental system was transferred to the Wuhu bus management department. Currently, throughout the whole city, 553 public bike rental places have been put into use. A total of 12,000 bicycles are in operation. 60,000 people apply for leases card, and maximum rent per day exceeds 58,000 times. For vehicle maintenance, real-time scheduling and other issues, the group developed a practical management approach. Service complaints are declining steadily, and citizen satisfaction is gradually increasing."

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HK chief executive vows to develop public transport

ecns.cn: "Hong Kong Chief Executive C Y Leung said Wednesday that the government will continue to develop a transportation system centered on public transport with railway as the backbone, in order to alleviate road congestion and roadside emissions.

...The government will foster a "bicycle-friendly" environment in new towns and new development areas by improving cycle tracks and parking spaces for bicycles, Leung said.

He also pledged to improve pedestrian facilities, including the provision of barrier-free access."

Carbon bubble threatening to burst in China

China’s Producer Prices Extend Drop in Sign of Weakness: Economy - Bloomberg: "China’s producer prices, a measure of the cost of goods as they leave the factory, extended the longest slide since the 1990s in December, adding to evidence that the world’s second-largest economy weakened last month."

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