Let's face it, fellow Beijingologists -- Beijing is a megalopolis. It is no longer the old Beijing, well-enclosed within the 2nd Ring Road, of the 1940s; less is it the tiny village millennia ago. To get around Beijing, you now have 5 ring roads, 11 National Highways, up to 16 freeways, 8 Subway lines (yes, including the delayed ones), and 3 BRT lines (one there, two in the process of being reality). And a thousand buses and even more roads and hutongs.

Trouble is, more often than not, you also have those things that actually go on these throughfares: cars. To the tune of nearly 3.5 million. This is no longer the bicycle kingdom of the early 1980s; nope, this is motor city, and more often than not, a nightmare motor city.

Your very own Beijingologist, himself on the road with a Chinese driving license for nearly 5 years, was always beset by those motorized concoctions known as traffic jams. Since the opening of the Mozart Line, or Line 5, he's also been a bit of a Subway guy -- there's enough stored value in his Subway card for rides whenever the spirit moves the bloke.

And this is where he finds his homes away from home. On the roads. In the Subways.

Bringing us, therefore, to the birth of a new Beijingology Network project: Beijing A to B.

The project presently has coverage for both roads and freeways (expressways) as well as Subways. We'll have bus coverage and even Chinese coverage (as an "alternative site" for locals that do the Hanzi language) later this month -- we're thinking of doing them when Lines 8, 10 and the Airport Express open. (Hee hee...)

So there you are folks -- Beijing A to B. From the guy that bring you both The Beijingologist on City Weekend and Beijingology. Enjoy. And yes, please get ready for your arrival.

Note: You'll see a few links to Beijing A to B updates (minor updates, mind you) on this site from time to time. We probably don't want to turn this present blog on City Weekend into a transport-only thingy, so for you infrastructure maniacs, it's good to know that there's another site to serve you -- and only you, wethinks...