Beijing bans shared bicycles in military facilities

Shared bicycles will be banned from entering military facilities in Beijing starting Thursday, because the disorderly parking of these bicycles will spoil the military's image.

Shared bicycles, such as MoBike and Ofo, are forbidden from entering military areas in Beijing, including restricted military zones, military administrative zones, military residential areas and military hospitals, the Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday.

The Beijing garrison is clearing up shared bicycles parked in military areas, Xinhua reported, adding that the ban paves the way for how to manage shared bicycles in military areas.

China has been experiencing a bicycle-sharing boom for the past two years. There are now around 30 bicycle-sharing companies in the county and more than 10 million shared bicycles are in use. Analysts predict the country needs another 30 million bicycles for hire.

However, the rapid development of the bicycle-sharing industry has also created problems. Poor bicycle-sharing etiquette poses a challenge, with many complaining on social media that some users have taken the bicycles as their own, which makes it difficult for other users to book one, or hard to unlock the bicycle because of a damaged lock.