Beijing commuters were not convinced yesterday by claims that traffic congestion in the city had improved dramatically this year.
A report published Sunday by the Beijing Transportation Research Center said the average amount of time lost per day to traffic jams in the first four months of the year was 3.25 hours, down from eight hours over the same period last year, website Qianlong.com reported yesterday.
“The report is not convincing at all,” a commuter surnamed Wang told the Global Times.
He said his daily commute from Guanzhuang to Hongmiao, both in Chaoyang district, took as long as ever.
“I haven’t seen any fewer traffic jams. The 13-kilometer drive always takes between 40 and 60 minutes,” he said.
The abundance of road works and poor design of some traffic flow systems had created more congestion than ever, he said.
“It’s hard to imagine what the situation would be like if the restrictions policy ended. Driving in Beijing is already a painful experience,” he said.
Despite Wang’s comments, the report claimed vehicles traveled up to 22 percent faster during the daily rush hours this year than they did last year.
Chen Yejun, who lives in Haidian district, said he had given up taking buses during the peak hours, as it was quicker to walk about 300 meters to his nearest subway station.
“The frequency of the traffic jams forced me to choose the subway, even though traveling on them is like being a sardine in a can,” he told the Global Times.
“The general situation has improved a little, but the roads that get the worst traffic jams are just as bad as ever,” taxi driver Xie Deyong said.
Guo Jifu, director of the research center, claimed people’s opinions were too subjective.
“The report is based on objective data. An individual’s activity is limited, so his or her views are not comprehensive,” he told the Global Times.
The improvements were thanks to the development of the public transport system and the car restrictions policy, he said.
“Although the number of vehicles and trips has increased, the number of traffic jams has fallen,” he claimed.
Beijing has more than 3.7 million vehicles on its roads and the figure is growing by 1,250 a day, CCTV.com reported yesterday.
“We will continue to improve the public transport system,” Guo said.
“This will include shortening the intervals between subway trains and extending lines.”
The Beijing municipal government planned to spend 80 billion yuan ($11.8 billion) on transport infrastructure this year, of which almost 18 billion was spent in the first four months, the Xinhua News Agency reported last month.