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Cycling is currently undergoing a renaissance in China, thanks to the emergence of shared bicycle schemes. A convenient pick-up and drop-off policy and the fact that the bicycles are cheap to use ($0.15-0.30 (£0.11-0.22; €0.13-0.25) for an hour's ride) are boosting uptake. The high technology shared bikes feature simple opening and locking mechanisms; convenient mobile payment; wireless communication with service providers; a global positioning system service; and automatic recording of date, time, and distance travelled.
According to the Sharing Economy Research Center of the State Information Center of China, 1 a total of 16 million high tech shared bicycles were in service as of September 2017, and each was used an average of three times a day. Bicycle sharing programmes are expected to be expanded to medium and small sized cities in China from 2018 to 2023. 2
Cycling used to be the predominant mode of transport in Beijing, accounting for 62.7% of total traffic in the 1980s. A sharp rise in car usage, thanks to the rapid development of China's economy, led to steep drops in bicycle use-to 38% in 2002 and 11.9% in 2014. 3 But rapid motorisation has caused serious problems, such as air pollution, traffic jams, and fatal and non-fatal traffic injuries. 4 The vehicle management department estimates that emissions of exhaust gases by motor vehicles accounted for one third of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) pollution in Beijing in 2016. 5
Active commuting
The transport agency and many Chinese city leaders are working towards increasing urban cycling and reviving a "kingdom of bicycles." 6 Statistics show that the average daily driving distance of 40% of cars is less than 5 km in big cities. 7 This short distance creates an ideal opportunity for promoting active modes of transport, such as walking or cycling. 7 According to the White Book of Shared Bike and City Development 2017, 8 cycling accounted for 5.5% of total kilometres travelled before bicycle sharing programmes were introduced in the beginning of 2016-now it accounts for 11.6%.
Active commuting is associated with lower risks of overweight and obesity, diabetes, dyslipidaemia, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and all-cause mortality. 9 10 11 According to the Global Burden...