Electric bikes on a roll in China

CHINESE commuters in their millions are turning to electric bicycles - hailed as the environmentally-friendly future of personal transport in the country's teeming cities.

Up to 120 million e-bikes are estimated to be on the roads in China, making them already the top alternative to cars and public transport, according to recent figures published by local media.

'This is the future - it's practical, it's clean and it's economical,' said manufacturer Shi Zhongdong, whose company also exports electric bikes to Asia and Europe. The bikes have been hailed as an ecologically-sound alternative in a country which is the world's top emitter of greenhouse gases, with their rechargeable batteries leaving a smaller carbon footprint than cars.

But some have expressed concerns about the pollution created by cheaper lead batteries, calling for better recycling and a quick shift to cleaner, though more expensive, lithium-ion battery technology.

They are everywhere in the streets of Beijing - no licence plates, no driver's licences needed. Enthusiasts say they are a godsend in a city where the number of scooter and motorcycle drivers is restricted. 'I get around traffic jams so easily,' said one Beijinger before speeding off from an intersection in the capital, where more than four million vehicles are clogging the roads and polluting the already thick air.

But not everyone is on the e-bike bandwagon - 'real' cyclists have complained bitterly that their once peaceful lanes are now clogged with irresponsible, uncontrollable speedsters.