Bill Belew has raised 2 bi-cultural kids, now 34 and 30. And he and his wife are now parenting a 3rd, Mia, who is 8.
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Beijing is trying all sorts of methods to reduce traffic congestion and exhaust emissions leading up to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.
There are some 3 million cars and 4 million drivers in the city, all of them huffing and puffing daily, blocking roads and filling the skies with suffocating gasses.
One company has a solution – 50,000 rent-a-bikes.
Brand new bikes will be available at 230 outlets near subways, commercial districts and Olympic venues, hotels and office buildings as well as in big
communities.
The Beijing Bicycle Rental Sevices is looking for franchise outlets who want to make 1 yuan per bike rented. The only requirement, a place about the size of one parking space to put bikes.
The Beijing Environment Protection Bureau is a sponsor as well as the anti-theft arm of the public security bureau.
Think of it as a library of bicycles that allows returns at any branches.
The air is likely to become cleaner if all the bikes get used…but I can’t imagine the roads being less crowded. And parking is sure to be a nightmare.
Still…I’ll take a bike over a taxi in Beijing anytime. Let me hook up a carriage to the back and perhaps I can haul some people on my way and make a buck or two.
