Electric bikes and motorcycles frequently enter, and sometimes cars mix in as well

　　Some urban greenways are "full of hazards"

　　As the construction of Beijing's greenway system accelerates, more and more parks are being connected into a network by greenways. On weekends and holidays, walking or cycling along the greenways is becoming the choice of more and more citizens. This newspaper recently received reports from citizens that on greenways originally intended only for pedestrians and bicycles, quite a few electric bicycles and motorcycles are now mixing in, and sometimes even cars appear. This not only seriously affects the park-visiting and cycling experience, but safety concerns have also been raised.

On the Grand Canal cycling route, motor vehicles roar past.

　　Dongba Country Park

　　Delivery vehicles busily weave through the greenway

　　"After the park was renovated, new fitness trails and cycling greenways were added. But now, besides bicycles, there are also more and more electric bikes and motorcycles in the park." "The west gate is currently under construction, and electric bikes and delivery vehicles are all coming in. With so many children in the park, what if one gets hit?" Multiple residents living in Chaoxin Jiayuan in Chaoyang District reported that since Dongba Country Park at their doorstep reopened at the beginning of the year, various vehicles have noticeably increased and there are many hazards. They hope the park will strengthen management to make the fitness trails and cycling greenways safer and more people-friendly.

　　On the afternoon of April 21, the reporter visited Dongba Country Park. Entering from the West Gate 2 and heading east to the central part of the park, many parents were taking their children for walks and bike rides on the roads. "Slow down, sweetie, watch out for the vehicle!" Along with a parent's reminder came the honking of an electric bike. A food delivery rider was seen speeding past on an electric bike.

　　The reporter followed the direction in which the delivery rider was riding, and along the way occasionally saw delivery riders coming from the opposite direction. These electric bikes weave among pedestrians, dodging and swerving in every way; when there are too many pedestrians to squeeze through, they honk frantically. In the camping area on the east side of the park, the reporter saw electric bikes parked by the roadside, and before long a delivery rider came out of the camping area and rode away. So it turned out they were delivering meals to campers.

　　Continuing the visit in the park, it was not only delivery riders riding in; there were also quite a few electric bicycles belonging to citizens. At the pavilion on the north side of the park, many people were gathered playing cards. Beside the card tables, in addition to bicycles, quite a few electric bikes and motorcycles were parked.

　　Heading south from the pavilion to the park's sports plaza, the vehicles parked here escalated further. In addition to electric bikes, even 3 cars appeared on the green rubberized surface. In the afternoon, the number of visitors in the park gradually increased. Some parents took their children cycling and walking, and upon seeing oncoming electric bikes they could only stop immediately and keep their distance.

　　Can these vehicles enter the park, and where do they enter from? The reporter's visit found that the entrances and exits of the cycling greenway at the west gate and south gate are the main passages for these vehicles to enter and leave the park. Construction is underway near the west gate; to make it convenient for residents of nearby communities to come and go, a small gate about two people wide was opened in the wall south of the construction area. The reporter noticed that a chair was placed beside the small gate, where security personnel would sit to persuade electric bikes about to enter to leave. But when the security personnel were absent, many electric bikes would frequently enter and leave the park through here. The situation at the south gate was even more "unimpeded." The reporter saw that a "Greenway Cycling Notice" was erected here, explicitly prohibiting motor vehicles and electric bikes from entering the park, but at this entrance and exit only the road surface on the west side had 6 stone bollards to block vehicles, while the nearly two-meter-wide road surface on the east side was completely open. During the half hour the reporter observed on site, 3 cars and multiple electric bikes entered the park from here.

　　The reporter then reported the relevant situation to the duty phone of Dongba Country Park. The staff member said that Dongba Country Park is an open, boundary-free park, and the guardrails on the east, south, and north sides were removed during renovation. According to regulations, cars, motorcycles, and electric bikes are prohibited from entering the park, and patrol personnel will persuade the relevant vehicles to leave when they encounter them, but the effect is indeed limited.

　　"At present, there are only two patrol vehicles in the park, and we are also applying to higher authorities to increase patrol forces. Going forward, we will further strengthen management to ensure the safety of citizens visiting the park. As for the cars entering the park, because some facilities in the sports area are not yet completed, judging from where they are parked, they may be construction workers' vehicles. We will further verify this and standardize management," the staff member said.

　　Grand Canal Greenway

　　Motor vehicles enter the greenway and roar past

　　Recently, multiple citizens have complained to the 12345 citizen hotline about management issues on the Grand Canal Greenway. Citizens reported that almost all areas between the greenway on the east bank of the Grand Canal and the surrounding roads have bollards, but these bollards have not been effective. Starting from Wuxing Road and heading south, cycling along the greenway on the east bank of the Grand Canal, there are large numbers of motor vehicles driving and parked on the greenway along the way.

　　One citizen told the reporter that this section of greenway starts at Wuxing Road on the east bank of the Grand Canal and runs to the North Canal Bridge, with a total length of about 9 kilometers, and is one of the top ten cycling routes recommended by Tongzhou District. "At the time, publicity said that the cycling route was set up as a combined pedestrian and cycling path, but on several recent rides I found motor vehicles frequently occupying the road."

　　According to the citizen's directions, on April 22 the reporter started from Wuxing Road and rode south along the east bank of the canal. The part of the entire greenway close to the riverbank is painted red, about two meters wide, and beside it is an asphalt road surface about 4 meters wide. According to citizens riding here, the red surface is generally for pedestrians, while the black asphalt surface is used by cyclists. During the first two kilometers of riding, there were no traffic lights and no speed bumps along the way, the scenery was beautiful, the air was fresh, and the cycling experience was very good. But when the reporter reached beneath the New Wuyao Bridge and continued riding south, motor vehicles continuously drove onto the greenway along the way and roared past.

　　Parallel to the east side of this greenway is a road called "Yunhe Dadi Road." The two roads are connected by small paths, and almost every small path has multiple bollards. Although the gaps left between these bollards are only enough for non-motor vehicles to pass through, because there are relatively wide open areas on both sides of the small paths, many motor vehicles simply turn directly from Yunhe Dadi Road into the open areas, bypass the bollards and small paths, and drive directly into the greenway area.

　　During the ride of about 9 kilometers, there were as many as more than ten cars and motorcycles traveling on the greenway, and in addition many electric bikes also passed by. The reporter noticed that many drivers came here to fish and camp. Some people parked their cars on the land near the river channel, but more people parked directly on the red-painted pedestrian passage.

　　Multiple citizens riding on site said that almost every time they come here to ride, they see cars and motorcycles on the greenway. "There are no parking spaces around the river channel, so people coming to camp drive directly onto the greenway. On weekends there are even more cars on the greenway, and sometimes even large vehicles such as RVs can be seen. Whenever this happens, we have to be especially careful when riding, otherwise if a car suddenly comes head-on or a pedestrian is squeezed onto the cycling path by a car, we simply have no time to brake."

　　The reporter then contacted the Tongzhou District River Channel Affairs Center about the issue. The staff member said that this riverside road is actually a river patrol road, not a road exclusively for cycling and walking, and motor vehicles are allowed to pass. But in order to protect the safety of pedestrians and non-motor vehicles as much as possible and reduce motor vehicle traffic on this road, the Tongzhou District River Channel Affairs Center installed bollards at surrounding intersections. The staff member explained that the two-meter-wide red-painted section of the patrol road is for pedestrians and non-motor vehicles, while the 4-meter-wide black asphalt road is for motor vehicles. "This road is a river patrol road. Although a cycling route is provided, the claim that it is an exclusive cycling path is not accurate. When some large cycling events were held on this road previously, the traffic management department would take temporary road closure measures to ensure cycling safety, but under normal circumstances motor vehicles are not prohibited from passing." When asked why the similarly marked road in the Grand Canal Forest Park to the north prohibits motor vehicles throughout, the staff member said that roads inside the park fall under the park's internal management and may differ from the patrol road in management.

　　Expert views

　　Greenway construction accelerates, and management also needs to "accelerate"

　　On January 18, the draft of the "Special Plan for Beijing's Greenway System (2023-2035)" was posted on the website of the Beijing Municipal Commission of Planning and Natural Resources. The draft mentioned that when citizens walk or ride slowly along greenways, a safe, convenient, and comfortable experience is crucial.

　　In the view of Li Dihua, vice dean of the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at Peking University, whether it is the creation of boundary-free parks or the construction of urban greenways, both are intended to allow citizens to get closer to nature more fully and to maximize the public service value of parks, green spaces, and rivers. As these new measures are implemented, they will inevitably also pose more new challenges for the refined management of parks and greenways. "To let citizens clearly know what they can and cannot do in parks or greenways, first the management side must clarify its own management responsibilities and intensity. In which areas should management be strict, and in which areas should citizens be encouraged or even provided with convenience? Only by forming a stable and clear management approach can we ensure that parks and greenways perform their functions to the fullest."

　　Cycling groups are constantly growing, which is inseparable from Beijing's accelerated construction of urban greenways. A good cycling environment attracts more and more people to outdoor activities. In this regard, Chang Weidong, president of the Beijing Fengtai District Cycling Association, said that after greenways are completed, the priority of pedestrians and cyclists on greenways should be clarified and guaranteed.

　　"The 'Beijing Park Management Regulations' stipulate that, apart from hand-cranked and hand-pushed wheelchairs and children's vehicles used by the elderly, disabled persons, children, and others, other vehicles may not enter parks without permission. Now, the construction of Beijing's urban greenways is advancing by leaps and bounds. I suggest that relevant laws and regulations should also keep pace with the times and clearly establish that cyclists and pedestrians on greenways enjoy priority. At the same time, the managers of various parks and greenways must also keep up in terms of human and technical safeguards," Chang Weidong said. Beijing has a relatively well-developed volunteer service organization system. Where conditions permit, volunteer forces can be used to assist in the management of parks and greenways. In addition, the media should also step up publicity of greenway rules so that citizens gradually develop civilized habits.