Last of the bicycles?

The increase of purchase capacity of urban residents has led to a massive increase in the number of cars in circulation within Chinese cities. The once ubiquitous bicycle yields to the (theoretically) more convenient car. In the space of seven years, the number of registered cars in the city of Beijing doubled, surpassing 5 million in 2011. However, the quest for convenience and sustainability might mean the resurgence of bicycles. Commuting time and pollution has greatly increased and the government has started restricting car use to tackle pollution. Some residents might begin to consider it a good idea to dust off their old bicycle.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Source https://media.hal.science/medihal-00932404
Author Elosua, Miguel
Maintainer CCSD
Last Updated May 7, 2026, 09:10 (UTC)
Created May 7, 2026, 09:10 (UTC)
Identifier medihal-00932404
Language en
Rights https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
contributor Centre d'études sur la Chine moderne et contemporaine (CECMC-CCJ) ; Chine, Corée, Japon (UMR 8173) (CCJ (UMR8173)) ; École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS)-Université Paris Diderot - Paris 7 (UPD7)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)
coverage Shanghai, China
creator Elosua, Miguel
date 2012-12-21T00:00:00
harvest_object_id 96567c71-7850-42fb-912d-7f9d12f7b8f3
harvest_source_id 3374d638-d20b-4672-ba96-a23232d55657
harvest_source_title test moissonnage SELUNE
metadata_modified 2026-04-08T00:00:00
relation info:eu-repo/grantAgreement//266941/EU/Sustainable Urbanisation in China : Historical and Comparative Perspectives, Mega-trends towards 2050/URBACHINA
set_spec type:IMG