Today, Beijing’s streets are flooded by every sort of motorized conveyance. Cab drivers complain there is no “rush hour” ” it lasts all day. City officials have tried everything to relieve the daily gridlock caused by about 2.6 million vehicles.
Road construction is fast and furious, which makes sense. Beijing’s traffic problem stems from its extraordinarily rapid transition from a bicycle and bus culture to a car culture. In recent years, the number of cars has increased, on average, by about 15% a year, while urban road capacity has grown by about 3%.