Beijings first “bicycle highway，” a 6.5-kilometer elevated bikes-only path， enjoyed over 40，000 users in its first three days of opening on May 31， according to Beijing Youth Daily—but also saw over 8，000 pedestrians and nearly 4，000 electric bikes trespassing.

The new route， connecting one of Beijings “Silicon Valleys，” Shangdi， with Huilongguan， one of its biggest bedroom communities， will “alleviate overcrowding” along the citys subway routes， say transport chiefs. Similar paths have been built in Xiamen and are planned in Shenzhen， as local governments look to cut through congestion and pollution.

The central government made adding bike lanes a priority for Chinese cities in 2013， but their safety and efficiency continue to be threatened by belligerent motorists. To combat this， Beijings bike highway is equipped with barriers to its eight on-ramps， but due to high traffic， these cannot be lowered during peak commute hours.– Don Giolzetti