Survey shows vandalism troubles shared bike users

Shared bicycles are seen in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, April 5, 2017. According to a report from Beijing-based BigData Research, by the end of 2016, there were 18.86 million users of shared bicycles, and the number is expected to expand to 50 million by the end of this year. (Xinhua/Hu Chao)

Users of urban shared-bike programs have called for regulation to address bike vandalism, and suggested that shared bike schemes should be an urban planning consideration, according to a survey by China Youth Daily.

The survey, which was published by the paper Thursday, revealed that 50.5 percent of respondents said vandalized bikes had forced them to rethink their travel plans, and 78.8 percent suggested shared bikes should be incorporated into urban planning management.

The survey was based on the answers of 2,000 respondents. The top complaint relating to shared bike programs was shared bikes crowding the sidewalks, with 63.6 percent saying it was a common sight. The other concerns related to vandalism and theft.

"It is not unusual to see shared bikes secured with private locks," Miao Yue, an undergraduate in Guangzhou, told China Youth Daily. "During rush hour, sometimes it takes 20 minutes to find a usable shared bike."

In addition, 88.6 percent voiced support for a law that would address the vandalizing of public facilities.

There are government-run shared-bike programs, but they only offer bicycles that must be returned to docking stations.

"Dockless bicycle-sharing is more efficient and convenient," Zhao Jie, a transportation expert with the China Academy of Urban Planning & Design, was quoted as saying.

Zhao suggested that there should be a system that tracks user's conduct.

According to the survey, 78.6 percent of respondents have used shared bikes, with 0.7 percent born after 2000, 21.1 percent born in the 1990s, 54.4 percent in the 1980s, 18.1 percent in the 1970s, and 5.6 percent in the 1950s and 1960s.