Beijing News: Helmet Sharing & Zombie E-Bike Cleanup

The city has begun to monitor compliance with the new requirement, with traffic police stationed around the city issuing tickets and warnings for riders who were caught without wearing helmets, who were observed to be wearing helmets incorrectly, or who were observed to be wearing unsuitable headgear like construction helmets. As the public adjusts to the new helmet requirement, and to develop ways to respond to the public’s needs, Beijing has begun testing a “helmet share” program in 24 communities and three primary schools around the city. In each of these communities, a cabinet has been set up at the front gate, inside which are several basic helmets. If a resident wishes to check out a helmet, they must provide basic information such as their name, their ID information and a contact number, after which they will be able to take the helmet out for free and return it when they are finished. In total, about 500 helmets have been distributed among the 24 pilot helmet share communities, with an average of about 20 helmets at each community. Authorities hope that, along with providing convenient options for those who don’t have or forget to take their helmets with them, the helmet share program will also help the public to become used to wearing helmets when riding e-bikes and increase the rates of helmet-wearing in Beijing. Officials Clean Up “Zombie” E-Bikes Around Beijing In more e-bike news, Beijing officials have been carrying out cleanup operations targeting seemingly abandoned e-bikes parked around the city – vehicles they have labeled “zombie” e-bikes. Since the beginning of this year, authorities have created more than 130,000 parking spaces for non-motor vehicles and e-bikes around the city and have gotten rid of more than 1,900 abandoned non-motor vehicles, in an effort to clean up public spaces, improve non-motor vehicle parking options and mitigate safety hazards of old non-motor vehicles abandoned for long periods of time. The most recent clean-up effort by city officials has concentrated on multiple main and secondary roads, subway stations, bus stops, and alleys in Xicheng and Dongcheng districts. Many of the apparently abandoned vehicles encountered were severely corroded, with damaged core components and a complete loss of functionality. The suspected abandoned vehicles were disorganized and taking up public space, and they also posed multiple fire and traffic safety risks. As officials go around conducting inspections on such suspected abandoned vehicles, they will leave notices on the vehicles informing of a seven-day notice period for owners to collect their vehicles. After the passage of the seven-day notice period, unclaimed vehicles will be cleared away and disposed of. READ: Beijing News: New E-Bike Management Rules Take Effect May 1 Images: Unsplash Provided:Paid: