Beijing News: Temperature Drop, Subway Lifts & Drunk Biking

Beijing is a happening city! Don't miss a thing with our weekend roundup of the latest news.

Temperatures to Plummet Nationwide

Extremely cold air is sweeping across the country, bringing with it heavy winds and sharply falling temperatures. In some areas, temperatures could drop 10-15 degrees C over the next couple of days.

In Beijing, the weather drop is expected to happen over Sunday and Monday, with the daytime high over the two days ranging from 4 to 7 degrees C and the nighttime low around minus 2 degrees C. According to forecasts, temperatures in the city should rise a bit moving into the rest of the week. 

The public is advised to dress warmly and take other necessary cold-weather precautions.

The legal heating period begins today.

Some Beijing Subway Stations to Add Escalators and Elevators

The Beijing subway system has undertaken a project to increase the number of escalators and elevators at some of the older subway stations that lack them between the station’s concourse and platform(s). A total of 39 escalator or elevator units will soon be added to a total of 17 subway stations in the city. 

Line 1

• 天安门西站 Tian’anmen West will add four escalators.
• 天安门东站 Tian’anmen East will add four escalators.
• 王府井站 Wangfujing will add two escalators and one elevator.
• 国贸站 Guomao will add two escalators.
• 大望路站 Dawanglu will add three escalators and one elevator.
• 永安里站 Yong’anli will add two escalators and one elevator.
• 西单站 Xidan will add one elevator.

Batong Line

• 九棵树站 Jiukeshu will add one elevator.
• 梨园站 Liyuan will add one escalator.

Line 2

• 车公庄站 Chegongzhuang will add two escalators.
• 鼓楼大街站 Guloudajie will add two escalators.
• 安定门站 Andingmen will add two escalators.
• 崇文门站 Chongwenmen will add one escalator.
• 复兴门站 Fuxingmen will add two escalators.
• 雍和宫站 Yonghegong Lama Temple will add one escalator.

Line 10

• 宋家庄站 Songjiazhuang will add four escalators.

Line 13

• 回龙观站 Huilongguan will add two escalators.

Sobriety Testing Expands to Include E-Bike Riders and Cyclists

Nighttime traffic stops to combat drunk driving have begun to include riders of e-bikes and bicycles in addition to drivers of motor vehicles. This is in contrast to previous similar nighttime checks, which focused mostly on drivers of motor vehicles. 

There are two main types of alcohol-related driving:

Driving after drinking alcohol: a blood alcohol content (BAC) level of 20mg/100ml (0.02 percent) to <80mg/100ml

Driving while intoxicated: a BAC of 80mg/100ml (0.08 percent) or higher

The level of alcohol in a driver’s system will be assessed by a breath test, which can be followed by a blood test.

For drivers of motor vehicles, penalties for driving after drinking alcohol can include fines, license suspension, administrative detention and vehicle impounding. Penalties for driving while intoxicated, the more serious of the two types and which was made a criminal offense in 2011, can include fines, license revocation, criminal detention, permanent driving bans and other criminal consequences. 

Penalties for either category of alcohol-related motor vehicle driving can also vary in severity depending on whether the driver is responsible for an accident, how the driver behaves after the accident, and whether death or serious injury is involved. There is also a zero-tolerance policy with regard to the BAC of operators of commercial vehicles, and there are specific penalties related to commercial driving after either drinking alcohol or while intoxicated.

In December 2023, further guidelines were issued, updating and clarifying criteria and procedures related to dealing with incidents of drunk driving. 

When it comes to alcohol-related operation of a non-motor vehicle, such as an e-bike or a bicycle, while specific penalties may not be exactly the same, the categories of alcohol-related driving are.

At a recent nighttime checkpoint in Dongba, a man riding an electric bicycle passed by a checkpoint and was stopped by traffic police, who tested his BAC with a breath-based alcohol test when alerted by their alcohol screening device. 

After testing, the alcohol content in the man’s body was determined to be 55mg/100ml, and he was deemed to be driving a non-motor vehicle after drinking alcohol.

That same night, Chaoyang traffic police arrested a total of three people who were riding their electric bicycles after drinking alcohol and gave them verbal warnings and safety education.

People who are determined to be operating a non-motor vehicle while intoxicated will face a fine of RMB 50. Failure to pay may lead to a warning and other punishment.

Although drunk driving incidents have decreased substantially over the years, both through developments of the law and through public education campaigns, alcohol-related traffic accidents still occur from time to time. On Nov 11, just after midnight, east of Qingqiao on North Fifth Ring Road, a man surnamed Feng drove a e-bike into the curb, falling from his e-bike and sustaining serious injuries and resulting in Feng’s death. Later blood tests showed that his BAC was as high as 269mg/100ml, more than three times the legal minimum for driving while intoxicated.

Authorities have said that in order to ensure the safety of residents’ travel at night, they will continue to institute traffic checks and crack down on driving after drinking alcohol and driving while intoxicated. And going forward, it is clear that both drivers of motor vehicles and those operating non-motor vehicles such as e-bikes and bicycles will be subject to increased scrutiny and consequences. 

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Images: Unsplash, Beijing Gonglüe Tong, Beijing Xinwen