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Don't forget the bicycle when mobilising the masses

One of the most symbolic yardsticks of the mainland's economic rise is its transformation from a culture of bicycles to one of cars. There is no more salient proof of the increasing affluence and growth of a middle class than the streets of major cities, which just a few years ago were bustling with bicycles, but now are choked with motorised vehicles.

A clash between the two is under way, and the government would do well to take an even-handed approach for the sake of the environment and health of its people.

Bicycles have long been a necessity for most people, being the least expensive way to get from place to place. Although most families own at least three, they are increasingly being left at home as people get the means to buy cars, which are as much a visible statement of the owner's climb up the social ladder as they are a means of transport.

Car sales are rising by 22 per cent a year, not as impressive as the 58.7 per cent increase for bicycles charted out - and met - by the 1st Five-Year Plan in 1949, but spectacular when compared to the flat sales of cars in developed countries.

But most mainlanders cannot afford to buy a car. With the average annual income at US$1,000 and the cheapest vehicle on the market about US$5,000, bicycles and public transport will be the main means of travel for the majority for some time to come.

The government is nonetheless increasingly favouring motorists through car-friendly policies, such as in Shanghai two years ago when bicycles were barred from main roads. In Beijing, many new apartment complexes are being built on the outskirts, making travel to work by bicycle impractical. Guangzhou last month imposed a ban on electric bicycles, arguing that they were dangerous because riders did not need to take driving tests as motorists did and the batteries posed an environmental threat.

Cyclists complain that other traffic encroaches on bicycle lanes and that police are turning a blind eye to violations. Some new roads do not even have bicycle lanes. The number of cyclists and pedestrians being killed by cars is rising.

The trend to cars bucks what is taking place in western Europe, where increasing petrol prices, traffic congestion and high parking fees are prompting motorists to turn to bicycles. Governments are encouraging the change; bicycles cause no air pollution and, by providing exercise, help tackle one of the biggest threats to public health - obesity.

China remains the global kingdom of the bicycle, with an estimated 500 million. However, there is a fast-evolving mentality, which is apparently shared by authorities, that bicycles represent the past. This would be a mistake for the mainland, where the headlong rush for development, while bringing many benefits, has happened at the expense of the environment.

Cars provide comfort and faster travel. But given that seven of the world's most polluted cities are on the mainland and that road congestion is increasingly a problem, officials should view car ownership carefully and not forget the benefits of the bicycle.

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