
Bicycle path over highway overpass, Xiamen, Fujian province, Feb 9, 2017. The overpass looks long, but the length allows a gradual ascent and decent for cyclists, improving safety
Back in the late 1980s there were more bicycles than cars in Beijing. I thought it was heavenly. People were healthy, Bikes were like a swarm of insects, clustering together, and riding was safe for everyone. While the air during spring had sand swept down from the Gobi desert (风沙), the air was relatively clean most of the year. Fast forward to a 2008 trip where Beijing’s air pollution was terrible and cars choked the city. There was a yellowish haze present in the air even when looking at the building across the street. Terrible air, terrible for your health, and preventable. Xiamen has built a bicycle path that looks very enlghtened. At 7.5km long it includes a highway overpass. If you could use it I think your life would be much better.
I believe that Beijing simply made the same mistake that most other Western countries have made, that is that the more cars the better. History has proven the West wrong. Even in Toronto, cars choke the roads, making the commute to downtown very long. I had hoped that Beijing would learn from the West’s mistakes and restrict cars, opting for more bicycles and improving the air for all Beijing residents. Was I wrong.

Bicycle path over highway overpass, Xiamen, Fujian province, Feb 9, 2017. The overpass looks long, but the length allows a gradual ascent and decent for cyclists, improving safety
The bike path is supposedly 4.8m wide, 7.6km long with 11 exits connecting to six public transport hubs. stats That is innovative. Take a look at this video. Very impressive. Why cannot Toronto take such bold steps?
Addendum: In Beijing, Two Wheels Are Only a Smartphone Away>/a>, may have a paywall.