A composite photo shows unused public rental bikes at a docking station in Dongcheng District, Beijing, and a bike lane arbitrarily occupied by cars.
In response to worsening vehicle exhaust pollution and to encourage green travel, Beijing has gradually rolled out a public bicycle rental system in recent years. By the end of 2012, the city’s public bicycle rental service had expanded from Dongcheng and Chaoyang districts to Daxing District and Yizhuang area, with the total number of public bikes reaching 14,000. The cumulative number of bike rentals and returns hit 700,000. However, this figure remains negligible for a city with a permanent population of over 20 million.
During an investigation, reporters observed that many public rental bikes sat unused and unattended along the roadside, while some docking stations had their bikes removed and were repurposed as parking spots for residents' private bicycles and electric scooters. One of the main reasons for the plight of public rental bikes is the severe encroachment on bike lanes, with road rights frequently violated, making cycling a risky endeavor.