Beijing's first dedicated bike highway, from Huilongguan to Shangdi, seen here on Tuesday, May 28, 2019. The highway will open on Friday, May 31. (Photo: IC)

Beijing's first bicycle highway will open on Friday, connecting Huilongguan, one of the capital's most populous residential zones in Changping District, with Shangdi, a rapidly developing high-tech industrial zone in neighboring Haidian District.

The 6.5-kilometer-long track has over 5,000 accompanying parking spaces. It is designed to allow cyclists to travel at an average speed of 20 kilometers per hour. Reversible lanes will be put to use in rush hour to relieve congestion.

About 370,000 residents live in Huilongguan but work in Haidian. The new bicycle highway can cut the commute time for cyclists from an average of 40 minutes to just 26 minutes.