Shanghai urban construction authorities said yesterday that they would set up more bicycle lanes citywide between major transport roads and hubs in order to expand the coverage of bike-rental services.

This will come as good news for green supporters and commuters alike.

The final trip home after alighting from public transport is a nuisance for many commuters.

This last stage was referred to by traffic planners as "the very last three kilometers," between homes, schools, or communities to traffic hubs, Xu Xuefeng, a Shanghai People's Congress delegate, said yesterday.

"Such a service will be convenient for a large number of commuters and important to the city's low-carbon ecological development," Xu said at a meeting with construction commission officials.

Commission officials said they had already started combing road conditions citywide in preparation for building bike-connection lanes between major streets, bus and Metro stations.

"Construction of support facilities, such as bike parking spots, will follow," the commission said in a statement.

The city government recently enacted a regulation setting up stricter restrictions on outdoor advertising.

Operators of low-cost bike-rental businesses are believed to have been hit by the new rule as no advertisements are allowed inside campuses and residential complexes.

The advertisements had been a source of income for these business operators.

Despite this hiccup, bike-rental businesses have been promised more support by the construction authorities.

The city's transport bureau told Congress delegates it would integrate bike-rental services in more of under-construction Metro stations, especially in outlying areas.

Shanghai started offering bike-rental services on a trial basis last year in Zhangjiang High-tech Park in Pudong.

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