How to solve the parking puzzle? ,Shanghai non-motor vehicles "block" subway stations and sidewalks

The weather is getting warmer, and citizens are commuting more and more by bicycle. With this, the problem of random parking of non-motorized vehicles and affecting the local travel environment has become increasingly prominent.

The high travel volume does not match the parking facilities, and the dispatch of shared bicycles during peak periods cannot meet the demand... In recent days, reporters visited many areas in Shanghai and found that the sidewalks around subway stations and some business districts have become the "hardest hit areas" for random parking, and some road sections even Non-motorized vehicles “block” sidewalks and motor vehicle lanes.

As the main mode of transportation for subway connections and short- and medium-distance travel, non-motorized vehicles are a "rigid necessity" for many citizens. Previously, some people have proposed that the total number of non-motor vehicles in Shanghai should be controlled, especially the number and areas of shared bicycles. However, in the view of some citizens and professionals, the market demand generated by transportation needs should be viewed scientifically. For non-motor vehicles, Indiscriminate parking behavior requires not only improving management to stop the bad habit, but also increasing parking facilities to eliminate the disorder from the source.

During the evening rush hour on May 13, the reporter came to Jinyun Road Station of Metro Line 13. Since the station is adjacent to Jinsha Jiangxi Road and Jinyun Road, the space resources around the station are limited, and many exits are full of bicycles, shared bicycles and bicycles. electric bicycle.

The reporter's rough statistics found that there were more than 200 non-motorized vehicles parked at Gate 8 alone, stretching for more than 100 meters. These vehicles firmly occupy the long and narrow pedestrian walkway. The vehicles are parked close to each other, with almost no gaps. Even the pedestrian walkway outside the isolation fence is full of cars. There is also a row of cars even parked on the non-motorized lane of the road.

During the evening rush hour, non-motorized vehicles occupy the sidewalks and non-motorized lanes outside Exit 8 of Jinyun Road Station of Metro Line 13

The pedestrian path, which was already not wide, was further compressed by the non-motorized vehicles parked on the roadside. The remaining space for people to pass was already very tight, barely enough for two people to pass by.

Mr. Chen, who lives in Jiangqiao, has been traveling by subway at Jinyun Road Station for nearly five years. He relies on electric bicycles to cover the "last mile" from his home to the subway station. He told reporters that the environment outside the station has always been like this from the beginning of commuting to now. "If someone were on site to manage the situation, the order would be slightly better, and parking markings would be drawn on the ground, but they are simply not enough. Sometimes when I arrive late in the morning, I have to park my car far away and then walk over, otherwise I won't be able to park in the empty space. Location."

There are no dedicated bicycle parking facilities outside Exit 8 of Jinyun Road Station, so you can only park on the pedestrian walkway. This situation is not unique. Many rail transit stations in Shanghai have the problem of lack of parking space for non-motor vehicles. At Pengpu Xincun Station on Metro Line 1, during the morning rush hour, the sidewalks on the east and west sides of the station were crowded with non-motorized vehicles, and many shared bicycles were parked directly on the non-motorized lanes.

In the central city, the space connecting the exits of many subway stations to the roads is already cramped, and the roads are crowded by non-motorized vehicles parked on the roadside, making it difficult for pedestrians to move.

In subway stations with fixed parking facilities, the parking order for non-motorized vehicles is obviously different. Also at Jinyun Road Station, in order to prevent disorderly parking of bicycles and electric vehicles from blocking the passage outside Exit 6, dense traffic blocking piles have been installed outside the station to restrict illegal parking of vehicles and leave sufficient space for pedestrians.

A non-motor vehicle barrier has been installed at Exit 6 of Jinyun Road Station of Metro Line 13

At Sanlin East Station of Metro Line 11, an open space has been set aside outside Exit 2 for non-motorized vehicles to park. During the morning rush hour on May 15, reporters visited the site and found that although vehicles were still fully parked, the sidewalks and parking areas had been separated due to the installation of guide signs, signboards, and isolation railings. The train is in good order.

Sanlin East Station of Metro Line 11 has a dedicated parking area for non-motorized vehicles, which is in good order.

However, there are many residential areas around the station. With the increase in non-motor vehicle travel, especially the significant increase in electric bicycle travel, some office workers arrive late and face the dilemma of nowhere to park. "There is no other way but to make some space so that the car can stand upright," said Miss Wu, a citizen.

In addition to having no space to park, sometimes citizens’ parked vehicles are moved from their original locations. On the afternoon of May 13, a young man struggled in the pile of cars outside Jinyun Road Station for more than ten minutes and finally found his bicycle, which was more than ten meters away from where he had parked it. After a lot of struggling, he "pulled" the bicycle out from the layers of siege.

In addition, although non-motor vehicle parking spaces have been newly opened outside some subway stations, it is still difficult to meet the parking needs of citizens. The reporter saw outside the Yuntai Road Station of Metro Line 7 that white non-motor vehicle parking boxes were marked on the roadside. However, due to the large number of non-motor vehicles, the designated parking area could not meet the parking needs of non-motor vehicles. Some vehicles parked in the green belt area outside the Shangnan Building, adjacent to the subway station exit. "We are also very distressed. Some people park non-motorized vehicles in the community. Residents often come to us to complain that there is no parking space." said the property management staff of Shangnan Building Community.

At the exit of Yuntai Road Station of Metro Line 7, the marked area cannot meet the parking needs, and non-motorized vehicles are parked at the entrance of the community.

At the exit of Yuntai Road Station of Metro Line 7, the marked area cannot meet the parking needs, and non-motorized vehicles occupy the sidewalk.

In addition to subway stations, some business districts and small roads are also "blocked" by non-motorized vehicles.

During the noon and evening peak hours on weekdays, the already narrow Yuyuan East Road is often filled with non-motorized vehicles and delivery rider vehicles, which are parked disorderly on the lanes. During peak hours, they even occupy nearly half of the width of the lane.

"You have to be extra careful every time you drive by here." Ms. Zhang, who works at Donghai Plaza, said that this section of the road is the only way for her to go to and from get off work. Electric vehicles and bicycles parked indiscriminately make the not-so-wide motorway even more crowded. , "Every time I pass by, I am even more careful, for fear of bumping into cars or people."

In fact, non-motor vehicle parking spaces have been planned on the sidewalk of Yuyuan East Road, but some delivery riders and car owners often ignore these parking spaces for convenience. “Everyone wants to park closer to the businesses, but the parking area here is so big, so there’s nothing we can do about it,” said a takeaway guy who parked his car in an unmarked area. “Everyone parks like this.”

At noon, Yuyuan East Road was occupied by food delivery trucks and other non-motorized vehicles on the sidewalk and driveway.

There are also many areas where sidewalks have become “open-air parking lots” for non-motorized vehicles. During the morning rush hour, the reporter visited along Shaanxi North Road and saw that random parking of non-motorized vehicles around the Fengxian intersection of Shaanxi North Road was relatively common. "This area is close to shopping malls and office buildings. There is a large demand for parking, but the space is limited. The sidewalks are often occupied by shared bicycles and electric bicycles." Mr. Zhang, a security guard at a nearby commercial plaza, said that the shopping mall has also strengthened management, but it is not easy. "This Before the people who wanted to park had time to regulate their parking, someone parked the shared bicycle on the sidewalk and had to wait for the operator to pull it away. "

The reporter saw that after the sidewalk, which was originally only two or three meters wide, was "occupied" by non-motorized vehicles such as shared bicycles and private electric vehicles, there was only a blind path less than one meter wide for pedestrians to pass. The two people walked towards each other. Sometimes you have to avoid it.

Non-motorized vehicles are "rigidly needed" and should not be "blocked"

The phenomenon of non-motorized vehicles "blocking" sidewalks around subway stations and business districts is not limited to Shanghai. In recent years, as the number of shared bicycles and electric bicycles continues to increase, related phenomena have repeatedly attracted social attention and discussion.

Behind this, the first thing that reflects is a practical demand - non-motorized vehicles are one of the main ways for citizens to travel and connect. Some professionals said that non-motorized vehicles have many advantages such as flexibility and low cost in smoothing the "last mile" of citizens' travel. "They are an important part of urban transportation and a real need for people's livelihood."

Compared with buses, many interviewed citizens believe that traveling by non-motorized vehicles is more flexible and maneuverable, especially for short-distance travel of one or two kilometers, which has become a "rigorous necessity" for many people's daily commuting. Mr. Yang, a citizen who has just settled in Songjiang New Town, commutes by subway every day. He bought an electric bicycle for transportation from his home to the subway station. "In fact, there are buses, but the number of buses is limited and the arrival time is not controllable. Sometimes the wait is only ten or twenty minutes. It is more punctual to ride a bicycle."

Shared bicycles also solve the short-distance travel needs of many citizens. The regional business manager of a shared bicycle company told reporters that the total number of shared bicycles in Shanghai is currently controlled at around 900,000. Relevant departments and companies are constantly strengthening management of the problem of haphazard parking around subway stations.

But the problem still exists. The person in charge of the above-mentioned company told reporters that the transportation and placement of bicycles around subway stations are determined based on the cycling needs of users. However, due to limited parking space, it is not easy to place vehicles in a timely and accurate manner during the morning and evening peak periods. "Bicycles flock to subway stations during the morning rush hour, but the capacity of our collection vehicles is limited and the roads are blocked, which inevitably results in chaotic parking for a short period of time. During the evening rush hour, parking spaces around many subway stations are limited and vehicles cannot be put in place. , and it is difficult to meet user needs.”

The reporter learned that some people have suggested that the problem of random parking of non-motor vehicles should be solved through total volume control. In this regard, Yu Chen, director of the Traffic Operation Analysis and Simulation Research Institute of the Shanghai Transportation Development Research Center, believes that non-motor vehicles are a more convenient, economical, and green way to travel. “Citizens do have demand for non-motor vehicles, and they cannot be blocked. In short, especially for the phenomenon of non-motor vehicle congestion around subway stations, more research needs to be done on how to divert them instead of thinking about how to reduce their use."

How to solve the problem of parking non-motorized vehicles? Expert: "One stop, one policy", make full use of public areas

In recent years, relevant departments in Shanghai have continued to carry out rectification actions against indiscriminate parking of non-motor vehicles, including setting up special non-motor vehicle parking areas around subway stations and business districts, and using ground signs, markings, hard isolation and other prompts to guide drivers to park their vehicles. Park at designated locations, etc. Relevant people also admitted that to better solve this problem, a long-term mechanism needs to be established, and it cannot be solved by simple "rectification".

"Citizens have parking needs around subway stations, and there is a lack of connecting parking spaces around subway stations, resulting in residents parking intensively in this area and parking beyond the parking area." A professional in the transportation field analyzed that subway stations There are some objective reasons for the shortage of parking resources for non-motor vehicles in the surrounding area: "Subway stations like Shanghai have been open for many years, but in the past they did not reserve enough supporting parking space for non-motor vehicles. In terms of road rights arrangement and road planning, the overall The orientation is mainly based on motor vehicles, and the needs of non-motor vehicles are ignored to a certain extent.”

From this perspective, the situation of non-motorized vehicles “blocking” subway stations reflects a certain degree of disconnect between the supply and demand of public resources.

"Urban development is changing with each passing day, and many original planned facilities no longer match the current development of transportation formats. Therefore, facility layout planning should be optimized based on existing conditions so that urban design can better meet the needs of citizens." Yu Chen pointed out that for the planned new additions In order to meet the demand for non-motor vehicle parking outside the subway station, it is necessary to emphasize "planning first", comprehensively consider rail stations, bicycle parking spaces, block planning, etc., reserve sufficient bicycle spaces in advance, and Predict future parking demand growth.

As for existing subway stations, Yu Chen believes that it is necessary to carry out specific research on "one station, one policy", coordinate the utilization of urban public areas, scientifically expand the non-motor vehicle parking area, and increase parking spaces in an orderly manner, so that citizens can regulate parking. Area. "For example, near business districts or places where there are fewer motor vehicle parking spaces, or using open space within a certain distance to provide more parking areas for non-motor vehicles. There are also some three-dimensional parking facilities for non-motor vehicles abroad, and some are still used in China. There are relatively few, and Shanghai can carry out research and exploration on feasibility and applicability.”

In addition to increasing parking space, corresponding management measures also need to be strengthened. "In addition to the shared bicycle platform's necessary management responsibilities such as operation, maintenance and dispatching, it is also necessary for the public sector to increase corresponding supervision and further improve management measures based on the actual situation. For example, install traffic blocking piles and restrict vehicles in exit channels. Park illegally and leave enough space for pedestrians to pass," Yu Chen said.

He also pointed out that the routes and frequencies of short-term shuttle buses should be further optimized to share the demand for short-distance travel by some non-motorized vehicles. "Optimizing short-distance shuttle buses is an important part of the implementation of the bus priority strategy, and is also a requirement for the construction of green transportation and slow traffic. Customizing short-distance shuttle buses according to citizens' travel needs increases the attractiveness of short-distance intensive travel and also solves the problem of non-motor vehicle parking. one of the paths.”

Currently, Shanghai is advancing to solve the problem of non-motor vehicle parking. The "14th Five-Year Plan for Comprehensive Transportation Development in Shanghai" proposes to optimize the construction and management of non-motor vehicle parking facilities, rationally arrange parking spots, and achieve convenient and orderly parking. The "Shanghai Slow Traffic Planning and Design Guidelines" also make it clear that the connection elements of rail transit stations will be enriched, including "the integrated and comprehensive arrangement of bus stops, taxi waiting points, non-aircraft stations, etc. within a certain range of the entrances and exits of new rail transit stations." EMU parking facilities, etc.” In response to the contradiction between non-motor vehicle parking at rail stations, the "Guidelines" point out that non-motor vehicle allocation indicators with differentiated functions by region and site will be used to guide construction, thereby improving the connection between non-motor vehicles and rail transit.