Transportation during Olympics

Written By Daniel Allen on April 5, 2007 at 8:00 am | In uncategorized

Getting around at the Games: Beijing tackles transport issues

 

Trend Description

Seven million tickets to the Beijing 2008 Olympics will eventually be sold. Managing the flow of overseas visitors, locals, media and athletes will severely challenge Beijing’s transportation system. In December last year it was announced that the city would spend US$9 billion to ensure public transport can cope with the strain of the 2008 Olympic Games and beyond. The government has published and implemented a “transportation strategic plan” for the prestigious event, focusing on promoting public transportation and providing special traffic lanes for exclusive Olympic use.

Subway transportation, which contributed to the success of the Athens Olympics, will play a key role during the Beijing Olympics. Beijing is rapidly upgrading its underground transport network to relieve the pressure on road transport. People with tickets for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games will be able to ride free on buses, the subway and the light railway at all times. For the convenience of the athletes, 50% of Games venues will be located within the Olympic Green, which is five minutes from the Olympic Village. All Beijing’s venues will be within 30 minutes of the Olympic Village.

Cases

 

 

Beijing Subway

 

By 2008, the capacity of Beijing’s subway will have increased 400%, with nine lines totaling 200km capable of transporting 1.74 billion passengers per year. By 2020 the city government plans to have 19 subway lines in operation, totaling 561.5 kilometers, which could make it the largest underground rail system in the world. In addition, a special Olympic subway system, with a capacity of 40,000 to 60,000 passengers per hour, will be constructed for the Games. Spectators will enjoy free access.

 

Olympic Lane

 

During the Games, the Olympic Lane will be marked along the main roads leading to the competition venues, Olympic Village, Media Villages and other major Olympic facilities. Olympic Lanes will only be open to vehicles with the Vehicle Access and Parking Permits (VAPPs) issued by BOCOG Transport Department. The Olympic lane operational period starts 14 days prior to the Opening Ceremony and finishes 3 days after the Closing Ceremony for the Paralympic Games, i.e. it starts July 25th and ends September 20th - a total of 58 days.

 

Taxis

 

There’s really no need to take a bus in Beijing - taking one of the city’s 60,000 taxis is fairly cheap and convenient. Although cab fares have risen over the last few years and can be expected to go up even more until the Olympics, they’re still cheaper than in most Western countries. The great majority of taxi drivers are honest and use a meter (never use one without a meter). In an effort to improve air quality, 90 percent of the city’s 20,000 public buses and 60 percent of the city’s taxis will switch to natural gas by next year. During the Games more than 2 million private cars will be banned from Beijing’s roads to further improve air quality and ease traffic flow. Most taxi drivers are expected to be able to speak some basic English by August 2008.

 

Trend Impact
Transporting people swiftly in large volumes on public transportation systems is critical not only to the 2008 Olympics, but to the continued growth and future development of Beijing. In a city with eight million bicycles, 1.3 million motorcycles and nearly 3 million automobiles (increasing at a rate of 40 percent per year), the challenge is to further develop a modern and well-functioning rapid transit system based on subway and light rail links, while minimizing the environmental impact.

Automobile emissions currently account for 70 percent of Beijing’s air pollution, so enhancing and promoting the city’s public transport system is a vital part of “greening” the city. If Beijing’s “transportation strategic plan” is successfully implemented, this will significantly improve public transport across the board, making Olympic travel for locals and foreign visitors quicker, greener and more convenient, and will also greatly benefit the city after the Olympics have finished.