Depressing reality of dangerous urban streets  

haven't got on a bike since I left Beijing for Hong Kong more than nine years ago. And I'm not sure if I'll ever ride one in the future. The reason: Beijing is becoming a less friendly city for cyclists and Hong Kong never was.

When I first set foot in the Chinese capital in the early 1980s, I was awestruck by hordes of cyclists riding along what I thought to be the widest roads in the world. It was also the first city where I saw special cycle lanes.

Years later, I did indeed get the chance to ride with some of the millions on the roads of Beijing. Not for nothing was Beijing known as the "bicycle capital" of the world.

It was a humbling experience to say the least travelling alongside people from all sorts of backgrounds. You met the same set of people pedalling their way to work. If you didn't meet them one day, an all-round concern of the fellow bikers confronted you the next day. An unwritten bond, maybe. Perhaps it was a sense of camaraderie.