City: "public transport is top priority"
17/6/2004 17:40
Shanghai pledges to give top priority to public transport development
and plans to raise the use rate of the public transport system by 8 percent over
five years, local urban transport administration revealed on June
16.
Administrative officials are considering an overseas BRT fast transport
system and are presently assessing whether it is applicable to the
city.
Under this system, the city will allocate specialized traffic lanes,
signals, vehicles and stations for buses, metros, ferries, taxis and other
public transports.
Like other densely populated metropolises, Shanghai has
long struggled with the conflict between huge traffic volumes and the inadequate
roads.
To improve the local traffic, five years ago the city introduced the
"public transport first" approach into its transportation network construction.
The plan has worked effectively as the city's public transport system has
become more convenient and is now more frequently used, with the use rate
growing from 16 percent to 22.3 percent from 1998 to 2003.
In the five-year
period, four rail transport lines of a total 82 kilometers long have been
completed for service in Shanghai.
The number of buses in service has
increased from 13,000 to 18,000 with the distances traveled nearly
doubling.
Key public transport transit centers have been constructed in busy
areas such as Xujiahui, Zhongshan Park and Wujiaochang.
Jane Chen / Shanghai Daily news
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