Beijing Bicycles

Bicycles remain the primary form of transportation for any of the inhabitants in the city. With its flat, wide roads and generous bicycle lanes, central Beijing is a safe place to cycle, as long as you keep to the tracks and wear a helmet. Most locals do not, but then they seem to have been blessed with an innate warning signal for oncoming traffic. Bear in mind that cars will not give way to either cyclists or pedestrians. Remember too, that Beijing is a huge city, and a major commute by bike may not be realistic. It is advisable to save cycling for short journeys, (especially during rush hours when you can smugly ride pass the queues of frustrated motorists), and for exploring hutongs. There is no defining law covering cyclists in the case of an accident Beware, however, of locals stepping out in front of foreign cyclists. Though rare, this does happen, as a way of squeezing a quick buck from the 'careless' foreigner-generally a few hundred yuan are handed over in compensation to avoid a trip to the police station.