Photo by Josh Eli Cogan, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution
Bicycles are a common sight on China’s roadways. Although increased car ownership and ongoing expansion of public transportation precipitated a decline in bicycle commuting over the last two decades, the bike is making a comeback. Air pollution and standstill traffic in cities have prompted new bike-share programs in more than seventy-three cities. Electric bikes comprise about 20 percent of two-wheel traffic in urban areas.
Washington, D.C., is becoming a cyclist’s city. How does it compare to its Sister City, Beijing? In 2010, 3.1 percent of D.C.'s 604,453 residents were bike commuters, as compared to 16 percent of Beijing’s 19.6 million people.
Photo by Jim Deutsch, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution
Photo by Josh Eli Cogan, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution
Photo by Jim Deutsch, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution
Bikes parked near a subway, Beijing, 2013.
Photo by Sojin Kim, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution
Photo by and courtesy of Steve Wong
A family makes its way through the streets of Beijing, 2008.
Photo by and courtesy of Nick Spitzer
