Taiyuan city, capital of North China's Shanxi province, recently explained a plan for green transport -- backdated to the year of 2019 and running through to 2022 -- to further improve the city's level of green travel. 

According to the plan, Taiyuan will form an eco-friendly, efficient, safe and convenient transport system by 2022, with the ratio of green travel to top 70 percent and with a passenger satisfaction rate for green travel services at 80 percent or above.

Public transportation

Officials said Taiyuan will give priority to the development of urban public transport.

The city will install at least one bus stop every 500 meters in the central urban area and also arrange public bicycle stops reasonably, to encourage the public to adopt green and low-carbon public transportation.

The capital will expand the construction of lanes dedicated to buses and establish an efficient and continuous network of bus lanes to increase the operational speeds of buses.

It will also promote the construction of an intelligent public transportation system, with electronic stop signs and mobile apps for public transportation, to provide passengers with accurate transport information services.

Pedestrians

According to local conditions, Taiyuan will build more non-motorized vehicle lanes and pedestrian paths, to ensure the increasing usage by non-motorized vehicles and pedestrians -- as well as reduce the mutual interference of pedestrians and non-motorized vehicles with motor vehicles.

The city will plan and construct crossings, pedestrian stop zones, pedestrian bridges and underground pedestrian walkways.

Officials said that pedestrian corridors, overpasses and underground passageways will be established in commercial areas, schools, hospitals and transportation hubs to form a relatively independent pedestrian walking system. 

Cars

Taiyuan will explore in establishing a system that links motor vehicle insurance discounts and exemptions to long-term non-use of cars. 

In areas or road sections with heavy traffic, the city will try to implement control measures for the passage of cars according to specific regions, time periods and road sections, so as to reduce of the total number of car trips.

Moreover, it will accelerate the construction of an internet-based smart parking system and explore parking sharing mechanisms to improve the efficiency of public parking.