Beijing to build its first off-road bike path in September

Plans for Beijing's first off-road bike path have been finalized, according to the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport, reports nbd.com.cn.

Riders in the bike lane under Guomao Bridge in Beijing on December 8, 2016. [Photo: VCG]

Construction on the first stage of the project is due to start in September and be completed in late June next year.

The 6.5-kilometer-long bike path starts in Huilongguan in Changping District and runs to Shangdi in Haidian District in southwest Beijing. Future extensions of the bike path may take it into the Zhongguancun tech industry area in southwest Beijing.

To protect the safety of riders, electric bikes and other vehicles will be forbidden from using the bike path. Barrier gates will also be installed to prevent other vehicles from entering or blocking the bike path.

The six-meter-wide bike path is designed to allow bikes to travel at 20 kilometers per hour, with a capacity of 1,000 to 1,200 bikes per hour per lane. Reversible lanes will be used to help ease traffic jams at rush hour.