Buses, Trams, and Trolleys:
Public transport or transit in Beijing, China typically include buses, trams, and trolleys and are relatively cheap in comparison to driving an automobile. It is also environmentally friendly since it emits little emission and limits congestion in the city. The governance in the urban planning of the public transit system is divided into three periods in which there are adjustments in the regulation. From 1949 to 1980, there was a strict centralization in which Beijing Public Transport Bureau (BPTB) had power over all the activities, policies, and plans related to transportation (centrally controlled). Therefore during this time, the government was able to come up with an overall plan of the city's transit system to add new lines and buses. However, this type of regulation had been time consuming and made the plan hard to carry out. Not only was the process for constructing the public transit system costly, but there was also inadequate amount of funds for the infrastructure investment since there was little capital provided from the government. Conclusively, centralized governance made it complicated to fulfill the developmental needs.
During the time frame 1980 to 2005, there was a move towards decentralization and corporatization. The BPTB became the Beijing Public Transport Corporation (BPTC) under which there were more reforms of the road infrastructures. There were improvements in the number of lines as well as an increased number of buses available to the public. On top of that, the Beijing Municipal Transportation Administration Bureau was created in order to better manage the traffic flow in Beijing, implement guidelines for the road infrastructure for public transit, etc. There were also investments available from foreign banks and the People's Government of Beijing Municipality, unlike the time with the centralized regulation. In April 1999 the Beijing Xiang Long Bus Co. Ltd was also established, thus exemplifying the move towards developing road infrastructure for corporatization. From 2005 to the present, there is a huge emphasis on decentralization. The BPTC also changed its name again to the Beijing Public Transport Holdings, Ltd (BPT) that is in charge of the ground passenger transit [1].
Public buses are considered to be China’s busiest and cheapest mode of transport. Since the flat rate for city public buses is 1 yuan, it is believed to not be as comfortable as a taxi or subway because more people crowd onto buses. However buses tend to come more often and also cover more locations of the city unlike the subways. In order to facilitate travelling by bus and make it more accessible and efficient, the local government constructed bus lanes so that it would reduce delays since numerous vehicles, bicycles, taxis, etc. share the road.
Subways:
In the time period 1949 to 2008, the Beijing population has risen dramatically from 2.09 million to 16.95 million persons [2]. This plays a huge factor into the increased demand for modes of transportations. The first subway system in Beijing, an underground electric-powered railroad, was finally established in 1969. Initially, it carried about a population of 3 million, but as of 2010 it has exceeded 5 million riders. The initial objective in the subway construction was for military use in the late 1960s, thus making it unavailable to the public [3]. Its first line was approximately 23.6 km long with 17 stops in total to enable five divisions of the army to go from Xishan to the Beijing city center. It was built on Chang'an Street and the city wall on the southern region of the second ring road that connected the military forces from the western area of the city and the Beijing Railway Station [4].
Under the Communist leader Mao Zedong, construction began in 1965 and first operated in October 1969. The Department of Beijing Subway Operation Management was in charge of operating the first subway system that was 21 km in length that linked to 16 stations. Later in 1971 the subway system was made available to the public, but only to those who have the credential letters from work units [5]. However due to political issues, natural disasters, and accidents, the subway was closed a couple times in the period 1971-1975. During this time, the Department of the Beijing Subway Operation became associated with the Beijing Municipal Transport Bureau.
From 1981 to 2002, the Beijing Municipality Government focused on decentralization and it was in 1981 when the subway line was opened to all for public transit. When there was decentralization in governance, the funding mainly came from the People's Government of Beijing Municipality. At this time, the subway system and its number of passengers skyrocketed. Since the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality supplied the transit services with subsidies, the fares for subways were very cheap in the city [6]. The subway system definitely expanded during this time period since three of the Beijing ring roads were finished and now there has been a demand for infrastructure expansion [7]. From 2002 to the present, the decentralization of governance has shifted focus to corporatization. There was also little government interference in both subway operations and management during this moment and the subway system was seen as a market player. Under the Beijing Infrastructure Investment Company, the subway line was expanding and the whole network was to add on three lines in 2009 and to build an additional 19 lines by the year 2015 [8]. It is proven to be the most efficient and fastest mode of transportation in Beijing since passengers are able to avoid traffic jams in the city, especially when there are automobiles, buses, and even bikers on the street.
Public transport or transit in Beijing, China typically include buses, trams, and trolleys and are relatively cheap in comparison to driving an automobile. It is also environmentally friendly since it emits little emission and limits congestion in the city. The governance in the urban planning of the public transit system is divided into three periods in which there are adjustments in the regulation. From 1949 to 1980, there was a strict centralization in which Beijing Public Transport Bureau (BPTB) had power over all the activities, policies, and plans related to transportation (centrally controlled). Therefore during this time, the government was able to come up with an overall plan of the city's transit system to add new lines and buses. However, this type of regulation had been time consuming and made the plan hard to carry out. Not only was the process for constructing the public transit system costly, but there was also inadequate amount of funds for the infrastructure investment since there was little capital provided from the government. Conclusively, centralized governance made it complicated to fulfill the developmental needs.
During the time frame 1980 to 2005, there was a move towards decentralization and corporatization. The BPTB became the Beijing Public Transport Corporation (BPTC) under which there were more reforms of the road infrastructures. There were improvements in the number of lines as well as an increased number of buses available to the public. On top of that, the Beijing Municipal Transportation Administration Bureau was created in order to better manage the traffic flow in Beijing, implement guidelines for the road infrastructure for public transit, etc. There were also investments available from foreign banks and the People's Government of Beijing Municipality, unlike the time with the centralized regulation. In April 1999 the Beijing Xiang Long Bus Co. Ltd was also established, thus exemplifying the move towards developing road infrastructure for corporatization. From 2005 to the present, there is a huge emphasis on decentralization. The BPTC also changed its name again to the Beijing Public Transport Holdings, Ltd (BPT) that is in charge of the ground passenger transit [1].
Public buses are considered to be China’s busiest and cheapest mode of transport. Since the flat rate for city public buses is 1 yuan, it is believed to not be as comfortable as a taxi or subway because more people crowd onto buses. However buses tend to come more often and also cover more locations of the city unlike the subways. In order to facilitate travelling by bus and make it more accessible and efficient, the local government constructed bus lanes so that it would reduce delays since numerous vehicles, bicycles, taxis, etc. share the road.
Subways:
In the time period 1949 to 2008, the Beijing population has risen dramatically from 2.09 million to 16.95 million persons [2]. This plays a huge factor into the increased demand for modes of transportations. The first subway system in Beijing, an underground electric-powered railroad, was finally established in 1969. Initially, it carried about a population of 3 million, but as of 2010 it has exceeded 5 million riders. The initial objective in the subway construction was for military use in the late 1960s, thus making it unavailable to the public [3]. Its first line was approximately 23.6 km long with 17 stops in total to enable five divisions of the army to go from Xishan to the Beijing city center. It was built on Chang'an Street and the city wall on the southern region of the second ring road that connected the military forces from the western area of the city and the Beijing Railway Station [4].
Under the Communist leader Mao Zedong, construction began in 1965 and first operated in October 1969. The Department of Beijing Subway Operation Management was in charge of operating the first subway system that was 21 km in length that linked to 16 stations. Later in 1971 the subway system was made available to the public, but only to those who have the credential letters from work units [5]. However due to political issues, natural disasters, and accidents, the subway was closed a couple times in the period 1971-1975. During this time, the Department of the Beijing Subway Operation became associated with the Beijing Municipal Transport Bureau.
From 1981 to 2002, the Beijing Municipality Government focused on decentralization and it was in 1981 when the subway line was opened to all for public transit. When there was decentralization in governance, the funding mainly came from the People's Government of Beijing Municipality. At this time, the subway system and its number of passengers skyrocketed. Since the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality supplied the transit services with subsidies, the fares for subways were very cheap in the city [6]. The subway system definitely expanded during this time period since three of the Beijing ring roads were finished and now there has been a demand for infrastructure expansion [7]. From 2002 to the present, the decentralization of governance has shifted focus to corporatization. There was also little government interference in both subway operations and management during this moment and the subway system was seen as a market player. Under the Beijing Infrastructure Investment Company, the subway line was expanding and the whole network was to add on three lines in 2009 and to build an additional 19 lines by the year 2015 [8]. It is proven to be the most efficient and fastest mode of transportation in Beijing since passengers are able to avoid traffic jams in the city, especially when there are automobiles, buses, and even bikers on the street.
Sources:
[1] Meng Xu, Avishai Ceder, Ziyou Gao, Wei Guan, Mass transit systems of Beijing: governance evolution and analysis. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. 2010. P. 716-718
[2] Beijing Municipal Bureau of Statistics. Beijing Statistical Yearbook (2008). China statistics press, Beijing (2009) from Meng Xu, Avishai Ceder, Ziyou Gao, Wei Guan, Mass transit systems of Beijing: governance evolution and analysis. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. 2010.
[3] Meng Xu, Avishai Ceder, Ziyou Gao, Wei Guan, Mass transit systems of Beijing: governance evolution and analysis. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. 2010. P. 718-719
[4] Beijing Impression, http://www.beijingimpression.cn/beijing-guide/beijing-subway-system.html
[5] Meng Xu, Avishai Ceder, Ziyou Gao, Wei Guan, Mass transit systems of Beijing: governance evolution and analysis. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. 2010. P. 718
[6] Meng Xu, Avishai Ceder, Ziyou Gao, Wei Guan, Mass transit systems of Beijing: governance evolution and analysis. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. 2010. P. 718-719
[7] Chengri Ding, Yan Song and Gerrit Knaap, “Growth Scenarios for Beijing 2020: Technical Report on the Beijing’s 2020 Comprehensive Plan Revision Process. 2005. https://www.lincolninst.edu/pubs/dl/1074_Ding_complete_web.pdf p. 4
[8] Sun, X.S.: The planned mass and BRT lines in Beijing will open to construction on 2009, Xinhua from Meng Xu, Avishai Ceder, Ziyou Gao, Wei Guan, Mass transit systems of Beijing: governance evolution and analysis. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. 2010.
Media:
[1] Transformation of the Subway Planning [Web Photo]. Retrieved from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/History_of_Beijing_Subway_en.gif/400px-History_of_Beijing_Subway_en.gif
[1] Meng Xu, Avishai Ceder, Ziyou Gao, Wei Guan, Mass transit systems of Beijing: governance evolution and analysis. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. 2010. P. 716-718
[2] Beijing Municipal Bureau of Statistics. Beijing Statistical Yearbook (2008). China statistics press, Beijing (2009) from Meng Xu, Avishai Ceder, Ziyou Gao, Wei Guan, Mass transit systems of Beijing: governance evolution and analysis. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. 2010.
[3] Meng Xu, Avishai Ceder, Ziyou Gao, Wei Guan, Mass transit systems of Beijing: governance evolution and analysis. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. 2010. P. 718-719
[4] Beijing Impression, http://www.beijingimpression.cn/beijing-guide/beijing-subway-system.html
[5] Meng Xu, Avishai Ceder, Ziyou Gao, Wei Guan, Mass transit systems of Beijing: governance evolution and analysis. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. 2010. P. 718
[6] Meng Xu, Avishai Ceder, Ziyou Gao, Wei Guan, Mass transit systems of Beijing: governance evolution and analysis. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. 2010. P. 718-719
[7] Chengri Ding, Yan Song and Gerrit Knaap, “Growth Scenarios for Beijing 2020: Technical Report on the Beijing’s 2020 Comprehensive Plan Revision Process. 2005. https://www.lincolninst.edu/pubs/dl/1074_Ding_complete_web.pdf p. 4
[8] Sun, X.S.: The planned mass and BRT lines in Beijing will open to construction on 2009, Xinhua from Meng Xu, Avishai Ceder, Ziyou Gao, Wei Guan, Mass transit systems of Beijing: governance evolution and analysis. Springer Science+Business Media, LLC. 2010.
Media:
[1] Transformation of the Subway Planning [Web Photo]. Retrieved from https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/History_of_Beijing_Subway_en.gif/400px-History_of_Beijing_Subway_en.gif