Beijing invested 98.8 billion yuan (US$14.37 billion) into traffic programs in 2016, capping the average daily traffic performance index of an urban city below 5.6, which marks the first drop since 2013.

Traffic Performance Index measures congestion on a scale of zero (smooth) to 10 (heavily congested).

The index fell by 1.8 percent on a year-on-year basis, as Beijing made great efforts to ease congestion over 2016.

 In September, when traffic jams are at their peak, Beijing hit a record low over the last five years, with the green commuting ratio rising to 71 percent.

2016 saw Beijing implement plans to ease traffic congestion by giving great impetus to the construction of urban bypasses and secondary roads. Beijing-Tianjin Expressway (Beijing section), Guangqu Road II, the southern extension of Ma Jiapu West Road, among others, have been opened to traffic.

Last year Beijing rolled out three bus lanes including one on the Third Ring Road, which has become the city’s first full-ring bus lane. A high-speed and convenient bus network has been built up with a total length of 841 kilometers.

Rail transit has also given a boost with 16 lines covering a total of 285.2 kilometers under construction simultaneously. Beijing’s rail transit length reached 574 kilometers as Line 16 had a successful trial.

In 2017, the ratio of green travel will continue to rise, which is expected to reach 72 percent, and the rail transit length will hit 600 kilometers or more, according to Beijing municipal transport authority.

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