国家出新招 缓解交通压力

中国现在的交通状况非常不好，特别是在一些大城市，随着私家车的增多，交通状况一直得不到改善。近期出台了很多新的交通政策以缓解问题，北京最近有三条公共汽车专用路线投入使用，希望可以改善现状。

The special traffic lanes are being set up on the Beijing sections of the Beijing-Lhasa, Beijing-Kaifeng and Beijing-Hong Kong highways.

A dedicated bus lane on the Beijing to the suburb of Tongzhou expressway is already operational.

People who take the bus on that route seem to be enjoying it, particularly during the rush hour.

"The special traffic lane has helped a lot. Since private cars are not allowed to use the lane, there is no traffic jam for the buses."

"The traffic was terrible before. It took me around two hours to reach the city center. But now with the help of the special lane, I have saved more than one hour."

Liu Jianjun is with a company which operates the buses on that route.

"We have increased the number of buses to carry more passengers. It is estimated that the passengers will save the time to reach destination by one-third than before."

However, people who drive their own cars along the expressway linking Beijing downtown and the suburb of Tongzhou are offering up their own opinions.

"As I am driving, I saw buses pass by me one after another. The cars are moving slowly. Now we have only two lanes to drive on since one lane has been reserved for public transports."

With one fewer lane on the expressway, regular traffic is now even more gridlocked during the rush hours, prompting some to take their chances, and drive down the bus lane.

Nan Tao with the Beijing Bus Company says people who do that are only making the traffic worse.

"Some drivers' immoral and risky behavior should be blamed. It will cause more traffic congestion since the special lane will lose its effects."

Beijing public transportation authorities note that closed-circuit television is monitoring the roads, and say anyone caught using the bus lanes will be fined.

The Beijing Municipal Public Transport Bureau points out that drivers do have other options when it comes to getting from the suburb of Tongzhou to Beijing downtown and back again.

New roads linking the suburb and Beijing's downtown are also being built.

Li Xiaosong, the transportation bureau's deputy director, says they're also putting more commuter vechiles on the road, which can be accessed in high-density residental areas and at subway and light-rail stops.

"The commuter cars will carry people from their home directly to the light rail or subway stations nearby so they do not have to walk over the distance. Our plan is to encourage more people to use public transports and not to drive cars. It will be an effective way to ease the jam."

Officials say the dedicated bus lane linking Beijing downtown and suburb of Tongzhou is likely to be used as a template for the new express lanes being set up on the other three highways.

They're scheduled to be in operation later this year.

For CRI, this is Wei Tong.