Biking in Beijing

Yesterday was another great day in Beijing (the weather, that is). Saturday was golf and Sunday was biking around the death trap roads in Beijing. I didn't have a bike, until yesterday. I went to one of 1000 bike shops around Beijing and tried a few out. They don't really have any monster size bikes around here, but the one I got is big enough. A GIANT mountain bike with front shocks...very important for riding around Beijing.

So, after the purchase, a friend of mine and me headed off for a ride around the city. Started off at Ho Hai, then through the Forbidden City and back home. Was great. Almost got ran over a few times, but that's part of the experience.

Bikes everywhere!

I'm not sure how many bikes there are in china, but I bet there are more than cars. Most are very old, beat up bikes. As long as it works, people don't seem to care. Plus, if you're peddling around on a new bike, it is likely to be someone else's bike soon enough. Tons of bike repair guys line the streets...fixing/replacing tires, greasing chains, selling locks.

It's estimated that there will be 3 million cars on the roads, sidewalks, grassy areas (they driver anywhere) of Beijing by 2008. I also read today that Beijing is going to prohibit all personal vehicles from being on the roads of Beijing during the 2008 Olympics. However, those people who do own vehicles will have free access to public transportation during that time. This is a good move by Beijing officials. Traffic here is already a mess, hopefully they will see an improvement with this move during the games.

Came across this article on nytimes.com....in the Netherlands, most people ride bikes. Only, they likely aren't covered in dirt or bruised from car bumpers like the people of China. They also pay big money for bikes there, that will likely never happen in China.