Lin Yang from TIME’s Beijing bureau has these thoughts about the city’s Olympic traffic plan:
Driving the four miles between my home and the office can take up to an hour, but with vehicle traffic drastically cut yesterday it took half that. Beijing’s drive to radically improve air quality for the Olympics means only private cars with even numbered license plates can drive on even numbered dates, and odds on odds. So I would not be driving the next day, but between the half hour and breathable air, I welcomed the change.
Now, after battling two hours to catch a bus, squeeze onto an overcrowded subway and walk under the scorching sun to work, I’m having second thoughts. At the bus station, dozens of anxious commuters and the lack of any sort of line made boarding nearly impossible. I failed on my first two attempts. One needs the agility, stamina and determination of an Olympian to compete with the rush-hour crowd. Do not wear flip-flops. The subway was no better. It has been so packed since the start of the vehicle restrictions that it made the news—and a crowded public transportation station is hardly a novelty to us Beijingers.
Some argue that we should suck it up, that it’s time for us to pay for all the pollution we have contributed to Beijing’s sky. But we are not the only ones paying. Those who take public transportation daily are suffering from the arrival of newcomers who know nothing about the unwritten rules of such a competitive commute. Taking cabs, which don’t fall under the new limitations on vehicle traffic, isn’t easy, either. With rising gas prices, many of the drivers have changed their business strategy from cruising the streets to camping in front of large apartment complexes and office buildings to wait for customers.
To be fair, there is no sure-fire cure for Beijing’s traffic problems. The government has been trying to make it easier for everyone. The results, especially in infrastructure, are particularly tangible as the Games draw close. Another 2,000 buses have been put in use, and the network of the new subway and light rail lines rivals Hong Kong and New York. Three new subway lines are opened last Sunday, including one going to the airport. But for a city with more than 17 million people, this cannot be the ultimate solution. Legalizing and promoting carpools might help, as would improving bike lanes. The resolution the government shows in the preparation for the Olympics makes me hopeful. I can already imagine the long-term improvements, if we could only keep the extra buses and subway cars after the Olympics.