Zhu Jimin is a delivery man from Yunda Express. He has to ride bike everyday through what can be terrible traffic. He's one of the 4 million bikers in Beijing concerned about their safety.

He said: "It's dangerous for us to ride bikes on the road. Once I was almost hit by a car at a cross road. The car broke the red light and passed by just next to me."

Most of the time drivers and bikers observe the rules, however, Beijing has 20 million residents and more than 4 million private cars. Battles for lanes between bikes and cars are common.

He said: "bike lanes have been edged out or phased out and bikes must use faster and more dangerous auto lanes. If the government want to encourage us to use bikes instead of private cars, they have to provide a better environment for us."

Today 19.7% of Beijing residents ride bicycles, and the government hopes to raise the figure to 23% by 2015.Promoting bicycle riding won't be easy because some beijingers say there are just too many hassles to try to avoid.

Sun Xiaomin told China.org.cn: "The signs are confusing at road work sites. For example, the cross road near by is building a subway. It is filled with all kinds of traffic signs. It is really difficult for me to figure out which way to go."

Chen Chao said: "the local government has made efforts to help bikers…. such as restricting when drivers can use their private cars based on the last digit of license plate numbers, and setting up many bike-hire stations near metro and bus stations. all these measures are welcomed by residents.

Chen Chao: "I feel much safer now when riding bike, because there are many traffic wardens on roads."

But bikers say the government needs to do more…. . such as better traffic management and enforcing no parking in bike lanes. that way…. Bikers like zhu jimin can concentrate on their work and not worry about their safety.

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