Many Shenzhen cyclists are reluctant to leave their bicycles at available parking areas outside the city’s Metro stations in fear they’ll be stolen, while others have criticised a lack of spaces, according to a report by the Shenzhen Special Zone Daily earlier this week.

Some Shenzhen cyclists have resorted to renting bicycles for 90 yuan (US$14) per month, including a 200 yuan deposit, due to a lack of safe places to leave their own bikes, the Daily said.

A recent survey by the Daily found that 15 of 23 local cyclists who had had their bicycles stolen in the past would be willing to pay storage fees if it guaranteed security. A lack of security at public parking areas continues to be a major issue for local cyclists, exemplified by a notice outside Hongshan Station stating that the Metro company was not responsible for loss or theft of bicycles left in the area.

Meanwhile, Shenzhen’s transport department said Monday that it will increase the city’s rental bicycles by 10,000 by the end of the year in a move to meet growing demand. Yantian District has been piloting rental schemes since last year, with Luohu and Futian districts soon to follow. Longgang and Nanshan are already offering privately-operated rental systems.

Back in March, The Nanfang picked up on a report that Shenzhen had the worst traffic congestion in all of China, with an estimated 2.25 million cars registered on the city’s roads. That number makes it “the densest concentration of vehicles per square kilometre of any major city in China,” according to the article.

According to a report August 1 by Shenzhen Post citing recent statistics, there were 79 hit-and-run cases in the city in the first half of the year — 25 of which resulted in death. One known case involved a local resident, surnamed Wei, who died at the scene after being knocked off his bicycle by a drink-driver. The driver, surnamed Mai, was later arrested after turning himself in to police.

Matt Kowalak, from the United States, is a senior business development manager at Southern Perspective SZ, and a Shenzhen expat. “I do not bike in the city. I’ve been mentally scarred from the accidents I’ve seen back in my early days in Shenzhen. I wish I felt safer but I think that the way people in Shenzhen drive is too dangerous,” he told The Nanfang today.

Maggie Tang, a Shenzhen resident and mother, said she was concerned with safety issues around cycling in the city: “My daughter has a bicycle, but she seldom rides. [There are] no riding lanes, so it’s not too safe. Weather can also be an issue sometimes,” she told The Nanfang today.

For many of the city’s residents, the choice to cycle is as much about environmental concerns as it is convenience and affordability. Shenzhen’s air pollution levels were ranked “Grade II” based on last month’s PM 2.5 data, which measures pollution in the local environment and is recognised as a national air quality standard, according to a report by Shenzhen Daily on Tuesday. The best is Grade I.

But not all of the city’s residents are choosing low-carbon lifestyles. Martin Li, a Shenzhen resident, said that he still drives a car despite the environmental benefits of cycling. “I just never really considered [buying a bicycle]. I guess it’s because I’m not a sporty person. I only use my car when really necessary, otherwise the Metro is OK,” he said when speaking to The Nanfang today.

Meanwhile, this week saw the announcement by the Central Government in Beijing that the country will implement a carbon trading scheme to tackle rising emissions — with the programme to be piloted in Shenzhen to begin with, according to the report picked up by the website OilPrice.com. Restrictions will be set on carbon emissions from companies that account for up to 40 percent of the city’s total emissions. This no doubt comes as good news to Shenzhen’s cyclists who remain concerned with local air pollution levels despite apparent improvements in official data.

In a related news story on cycling in Shenzhen, The Fast Company reported Aug. 7 that a new “smart handlebars” concept, called the Helios Bars, was being tested in Shenzhen for four months. Check out the link for more details.

Photo credit: WantChinaTimes.com