Recently, Liu Changjun, a professor at Tianjin University, spoke about the bike-sharing industry when he attended the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC). He said: “After several years’ trial run, shared bikes were now springing up in many urban streets, providing convenience for both citizens and foreign tourists. The successful operation of the ‘shared bicycles’ raises people’s awareness of sharing, promotes the idea of green travel and makes non-cash payment more popular. The bike-sharing industry, with proper management, has a tendency to become a huge emerging industry. A report shows that the number of bike-sharing users has reached 18.86 million by the end of 2016. It is predicted that the number will increase to 50 million by the end of 2017.”

Liu pointed out that the relevant departments should work together to promote a fast, healthy and sustainable development of bike-sharing. He said: “Local governments need to strengthen their regulation of the bicycle sharing market and create a positive judicial environment for the industry. Moreover, enterprises should use various media, especially the new media, to introduce the service regulations to the public.”

Liu also proposed that the cities should speed up the construction of the parking places for bicycles and leave enough space for bikeways. He said: “In the long run, public transport and bicycles will be the fundamental ways to solve the problem of traffic jams in China. The development of shared bicycles is conducive to citizens’ health as well as the realization of this long-term goal.” In addition, he mentioned that the parking problem imposed severe restrictions on the development of shared bikes, and therefore, urged that dedicated parking places for bicycles be built.