The underdeveloped public transport system in major Chinese cities is one of the most talked about causes of traffic congestion.

Reasonably priced but less efficient and crowded bus rides are no longer popular for relatively well-off residents, or those on strict schedules. However for regular commuters and people who cannot afford a private vehicle, or taxi service, public transport is and will be their only choice. These regular commuters are the overwhelming majority so it is good the Ministry of Construction, the national caretaker of urban public transport, has finally made up its mind to press for changes.

On Saturday, the ministry urged all large and medium-sized cities to refine local public transport networks in order for public transport to account for 30 percent of local passenger flow by 2011.

The nationwide average now is below 10 percent.

It is a relief that the ministry, long pre-occupied with construction and renovation in urban development, has at last seen the limitations of widening roads.

In Beijing, for example, traffic congestions have hardly been eased in spite of continuous road-widening projects.

World Bank data made public at the Saturday meeting show that average rush-hour vehicle speed on trunk lines between Beijing's second and third ring roads dropped from 45 kilometers per hour in 1994 to below 10 kilometers in 2005.

The ministry's proposal to transform urban traffic signal systems and allow certain privileges for buses may be conducive to restoring commuter interest. But its implementation will take a lot of brainwork.

It requires meticulous weighing and coordinating to maneuver a reasonable balance between everybody's right of way.

The ministry has shown intention to raise the cost of the use of non-public vehicles, though it is yet to come up with executable schemes. That may contribute to diluting traffic on the streets.

But the most important precondition, as the ministry has observed, is government input. In recent years, many local governments have invested heavily in building and renovating roads. But much less was spent on updating our over-burdened public transport networks.

Some cities have even used public land designated for public transport facilities for other development programs in order to make profits.

Since many public transport operators are running in the red because of higher prices for fuel, insurance and maintenance, some local governments have simply sold or leased bus companies or routes to private firms.

A 2006 survey of 117 cities by the Ministry of Construction found that 66 failed to finance or offer policy incentives for infrastructure construction, or vehicle and equipment update.

The policy guidelines issued on Saturday to give priority to urban public transport promise that the central government will offer subsidies to compensate for the economic losses resulting from oil price hikes. That is good news for all.

(China Daily December 4, 2006)