Nowadays, many public officials have developed a habit of riding official bicycles instead of driving official cars when conducting short-distance business in Gulou District, Nanjing, the capital city of east China’s Jiangsu province, Modern Express reports.
The local government purchased 20 official bicycles in 2008, and has recently acquired another 100 bicycles in the district.
In contrast to common bicycles, these official ones bear a green plate saying “Official Bicycle in Gulou District” on the back of their seats.
Officials can borrow them conveniently after registering with their work cards, ID cards or even canteen cards. But these bicycles are usually required to be returned within the same day.
According to the report, about 20 to 30 officials will borrow such bicycles every day from one rent shed. These bikes become more popular when there’s a big event being held in the district.
A public official surnamed Chen admitted that he would choose these bicycles as his first choice for short-distance work to avoid getting stuck in narrow streets, traffic jams and parking difficulties.
Zhou Tong, director of Gulou District Government Affairs Center, who promoted the idea of official bikes, said: “Riding bicycles during official business is convenient and environmentally-friendly. It can also bring officials closer to local residents.
” Many netizens praised this policy, but some of them still questioned the necessity of buying bikes with public funds since officials can receive transportation subsidies and afford to buy bikes by themselves.
