Beijing's public transportation needs improvement

chinadaily.com.cn: " there is a far from sufficient number of public buses. In some newly constructed neighborhoods, there is still no bus line and a new service called "lady motorpad" has emerged, with women driving passengers to and from subway stations that are a long way to walk to and from."

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Climate change. Three meters of water in Shantou. Time to rethink cars.

This picture taken on August 19, 2013 shows residents travelling on boats and rafts down a flooded street in Shantou, in southern China's Guangdong province. Picture: AFP

Gallery: China floods death toll passes 100 | eNCA: "Flooding in the northeast which left 72 people dead was described as "the worst in decades" by state news agency Xinhua, while another 33 people died in the south as a result of the weather, it said citing the ministry of civil affairs."

China Coal-Fired Economy Dying of Thirst as Mines Lack Water

Bloomberg: "About half of China’s rivers have dried up since 1990 and those that remain are mostly contaminated. Without enough water, coal can’t be mined, new power stations can’t run and the economy can’t grow. At least 80 percent of the nation’s coal comes from regions where the United Nations says water supplies are either “stressed” or in “absolute scarcity.”"

Electric vehicles? Not a solution.

Beijing bikeshare is free for first hour, helps people get to metro

chinadaily.com.cn: "The time Lu spends commuting has been cut by almost by a third with the greater allocation of public bicycles throughout the city, with one bicycle rental station in the community where Lu lives, in Chaoyang district. "Now I ride a rental bike from my community to Liangmaqiao subway station, where I return the bike and take the subway," Lu said. "You can return the bike right away and don't need to worry it will be stolen."
As more public rental bicycle stations are set up throughout the city, Lu said his family sometimes rents a bicycle for grocery shopping as well. As long as he returns the bike within an hour, the use is free of charge.
The commission said the bikes are free to rent for the first hour, then are charged at 1 yuan (16 cents) for each additional hour. The maximum expense for a full day is no more than 10 yuan but people can only rent a bike for a maximum of three days each time."

China losing money and people in floods. Raising #publictransit fares in Beijing will mean more cars and more CO2.

Transport fares should benefit the public interest - OP-ED - Globaltimes.cn: "Some complain that one of the rare privileges of Beijing residents may soon be taken away. Experts are also divided.

Beijing residents have been enjoying these low prices for almost six years. The city had invested in public transportation before the 2008 Olympic Games so as to promote public transport and avoid traffic headaches. The policy has continued since then as the city witnessed a growing population over the following years."

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Traffic congestion choking Beijing. BPT gets creative, but #freetransit would work better

Globaltimes.cn: "The customized buses would guarantee seats for every passenger and take passengers directly to their destinations on designated bus routes, BPT said. The buses also have Wi-Fi, it added."

Excellent article about the history of #publictransit in Shanghai

The push for passengers - SHANGHAI - Globaltimes.cn: "More than two decades after Russia opened the world's first tram service in 1880, the British-owned Shanghai Electric Construction Co was given permission to run a tram service in the former International concession in 1905. Workers began laying tracks in April, 1906, installing overhead wires and building terminals and depots. In 1907, the company imported its first batch of four-wheeled single-deck trams from Loughborough, England."