(LI XIN)

A bicycle-sharing pack at Qianmen Dong Street in downtown Beijing.

The city will nearly double its number of bicycles available for shared use to 25,000 this year, with plans to add more, in an attempt to cut air pollution and traffic congestion in the city.

Private automobile ownership is estimated to exceed 6 million by the end of 2016 in the Chinese capital.

Beijing's bicycle-sharing program started in 2011 and has been proven popular during its two-year trial period.