Transportation “On The Move” in Beijing!

Last week marked some big changes in the way people living and visiting Beijing will get around the city during the Olympics.
Proving the pace at which Beijing is changing, when I got back last Monday from a 10 day trip through China I was bombarded with news of changes that took place while I was away.
Even though the changes span every sector, having just spent a week and half riding the rails through the guts of the country, transportation is hot on my mind.
It’s also a hot topic on the minds of Beijingers.
The long anticipated Airport express, Line 10, and Olympic branch subway routes were opened up after over 5 years of construction.

All three lines are specifically designed to help handle the high volume of visitors Beijing will be seeing during the Olympics.

For guests arriving at the airport, the Airport Express line will provide a quick and cheap way to get to the heart of Beijing. Now instead of the 70 Rmb ($10 U.S.) cab ride into town, Olympic visitors can hop on the Airport express line and pay 25 Rmb ($3 U.S).

Once they reach the last stop of the Airport Express they can transfer to the Line 10 subway which services the major hotel areas.

The line 10 also transfers to the Olympic branch line where riders can connect with most major Olympic venues.

With the new line 10 easing pressure off of the other routes, it is now guaranteed that Olympic guests won’t have to engage in the elbow to elbow brawling that usually takes place while trying to board the Beijing subway during rush hour.

Although, at a mere $4 U.S. a pop, I get the feeling foreign guests will be opting to take taxis most places anyways.

For those taking taxis, the policy requiring odd-even license plate numbers to alternate driving days went into effect Sunday.

The new policy has expected to take somewhere around 3 million cars of the roads.

Already this has had a dramatic impact on Beijing’s car congestion.

I first witnessed the difference on Tuesday night when instead of the 45-minute stop and go ride I usually take to my favorite restaurant, the ride was a smooth 20 minutes. Where there was once a four lane highway filled with unmoving motors there is now a light sprinkling of traffic.

Coincidentally, the air pollution levels for the last two days have been minimal.

Beijing also began running two brand new double decker busses designed for foreign friends looking to explore the city.

With air-conditioning, extra-wide soft seats (to fit the larger foreign frames), Imax style windows, and Chinese/English commentary, the new busses will whisk 60 passengers through the historical and Olympic related sites of the city in luxury.

Though it’s very unlikely that any expats will find themselves taking public busses, Beijing also began running 10 out of 34 new bus routes.

As for me, after spending over 55 hours on the rails, 30 which were spent standing (they actually issue standing tickets), I have decided that I will avoid public transportation for a while.