Nanjing may have done a decent job in getting her e-bike riding citizens to wear helmets, but that’s not stopping efforts to keep those on two wheels safe in other cities, in a proactive manner that puts Nanjing to shame.
Yesterday, 29 October, the city of Zhenjiang put into operation a fleet of power-sharing bicycles that are each equipped with a bright yellow helmet that is tethered to the bike by a spring rope, providing another personal transportation option and a further incentive for local citizens to reduce their carbon footprint.
Lightweight and smart looking, a total of 2,000 of the green and white bikes are to be distributed to 203 parking facilities across the city’s downtown area by Zhenjiang’s urban management authorities. Half of the total number were put into operation yesterday.
With a top speed of 20 km/h and a range of 60 km, under normal circumstances, one full charge of the bike will last for 4-5 days, before a recharge or pedal power takes over. Usage is via the app, “Yonganxing” (永安行”), among other options.
Unlike with most other shared bikes, the new system in Zhenjiang includes a “temporary parking” function, which riders may select using the app, to provide for 30 minutes of billed parking. Should such temporary parking exceed 30 minutes, the system will automatically lock the bike, end the rental and deduct the corresponding expense for the ride, as well as an ¥8 dispatch fee to cover later relocation of the bike.
Rental of the bikes costs ¥2 per half hour, with an additional deposit payable depending on the platform used.
With many people wearing the same helmet, concerns as to sanitation have been raised. Chen Bo, Zhenjiang Regional Marketing Manager for Yonganxing Technology told reporters for the Yangtze Evening News that the company will regularly clean and disinfect all helmets that come with the pile-assisted shared bicycles.
Adjacent to Nanjing, the city of Zhenjiang historically lags significantly behind Nanjing in terms of development, it ranking relatively low in Jiangsu Province’s administrative scheme of things.
That makes yesterday’s unveiling of the helmet-equipped bikes all the more telling. While not a huge slap in the face, Nanjing would do well to keep an eye on Zhenjiang and consider all options in fulfilling China’s commitment to become carbon neutral by 2060.
