The central Chinese cities of Zhengzhou and Kaifeng recently imposed traffic restrictions before a viral challenge among young people which consisted of covering the distance between the two on a bicycle, a trend that caused in the last few days traffic problems on the roads local.
The fever for cycling the 50-kilometer route between Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, and the city of Kaifeng, one of the former imperial capitals, had spread among young people, who organized themselves into groups to undertake the five-hour journey.
The students usually set off after sunset, when the temperature drops, and many saw the journey not only as a physical challenge, but also as a way of connect with their peersThe local newspaper China Daily reported on Monday.
The rise of this activity was sparked by an excursion on June 18 by four young people from Zhengzhou, who decided to undertake the trip by bicycle. to try some soup-filled buns, which were typical of Kaifeng.
A viral story
The story went viral in the networks of the Asian giant and attracted thousands of imitators. Last weekend, traffic authorities in Zhengzhou and Kaifeng observed congestion problems on the roads because of groups of students were occupying lanes or traveled in parallel lines, obstructing the passage of other vehicles and generating risky situations.
Images circulating on the country’s social networks show thousands of young people riding bicycles flooding the lanes of the roads linking Zhengzhou and Kaifeng, population 12 million and 4.8 million, respectively.
The measures, which were in effect between local afternoon this Saturday and local noon this Sunday, provided for the temporary suspension of the use of bicycless in designated lanes to avoid mass transit of bicyclists.
For its part, the Kaifeng government called on students to avoid forming cycling crowds and stressed the importance of combining youthful enthusiasm with the prudence and responsibilityThe youth need passion, but also security,” the authorities were quoted as saying by China Daily.