Chaoyang plans parking improvements

Beijing's largest district within its urban area plans to improve traffic conditions this year by adding more parking lots and using underground space, authorities said.

The Chaoyang district's city administration and environmental commission said it plans to establish 3,000 more parking spaces for vehicles in 17 major communities.

Another reform will be the introduction of "shared parking lots"in six communities, where employees in nearby office buildings and residents can share 500 parking spaces, the commission said.

Chaoyang's Central Business District plans to build a public underground space to connect 18 high-rise buildings, with a total area of 520,000 square meters, according to the CBD administration committee.

The underground space will have five floors, including one for pedestrians and another for vehicles, and will connect the parking spaces of 18 high-rise buildings in the future.

The construction of the underground space, which began in 2013, will be the largest underground public space in the city.

Liu Xiuqin, the head of the comprehensive department of the committee, said that Chaoyang also plans to add two more underground roads to cross Jianguo Road and the East Third Ring Road — two major roads connecting the CBD with other areas on which traffic jams are frequent.

She said that the details of the plan are still under discussion.