Beijing enjoys effective transport during 21st Universiade
( 2001-08-19 11:04 ) (8 )

What if you spend one hour to get to a place 20 kilometers away?

Heavy traffic remains a headache to all big cities in the world and Beijing is no exception. But the upcoming 21st Universiade, which is known as "the Olympics for college students" will witness an upgraded transport system in Beijing to ensure an effective traffic during the 12-day games.

The Organizing Committee of the 21st World University Games, in close cooperation with relevant government departments such as the Beijing Transportation Administration Bureau, devotes much of its effort to improve Beijing's transport.

According to a statistics, by the end of the Universiade, there will be an estimated three million spectators in 620 or so matches during the games, which are expected to attract more than 13,000 athletes, officials and reporters from 166 countries and regions world wide.

Roads outside large stadiums face huge pressure when crowds swarm in after major sports events. It is also a great challenge to the organisers to garantee a smooth traffic for the athletes between village and competition venues.

With the effort by the Organizing Committee, athletes and reporters during the games will enjoy good transport services as 568 regular and special buses are on standby to take them to 13 venues in time. There will be a further more than 2,000 vehicles to serve the Universiade, shuttling between the 52 competition and training spots.

To further smooth the traffic, seven roads around the Worker's Stadium, the main stadium which will hold the opening ceremony, and the students' village have been upgraded, totaling an area of 372,300 square meters.

In addition, the Fourth Ring Road began its full service in time for the Universiade in June. An average of 2.5 kilometers away from the Third Ring Road, the new one, with 65.3 kilometers, permits a speed of up to 100km per hour.

Beijing is to run faster in the future as it looks to the much more marvelous and bigger Olympics in 2008. The Fourth Ring Road is only part of a general framework that features a series of infrastructure projects involving a massive investment of over US$20 billion in the next five years.

The next five years will see Beijing triple the length of its expressway networks and expand and upgrade its public transport system.

By the year 2008, Beijing's expressway will be expanded to 700 kilometers including a 93-km fifth ring road and more than 100 kilometers of rail networks both over and underground will be added to the existing 53.7 kilometers subway line.

The construction of a 18.9 km light rail across the city has already been under way and it is slated to open by the end of 2002. Expressway networks and additional ring roads will link satellite towns with a population above 50,000 each in Beijing while the rail system is expected to connect the capital city to the Olympic Park on the city's northern outskirts.

"We are aimed at establishing a transport system that ensures any vehicle in expressway system to reach its destination in Beijing within an hour." speculated Wang Guangtao, Vice Mayor of the municipal city.

Imagine a Beijing in 2008. Railways and ring roads as well as connecting roads weave a huge web in the city with venues, residential areas, commercial centers and hi-tech development zones interspersed in it. Traffic jam is to lose place among people's daily topics. Beijing is on expressway to provide a more convenient transport, and more importantly bring a better life for people here.