The first expressway – Lhasa-Minya Konka Airport Expressway – was put into use in July 2011. It put an end to the history in which Tibet had no expressway at all. This 37.8 kilometer-long expressway shortens the normally more than one hour driving to half an hour only. The highly different travelling experience over the past half century tells us a vivid story about Lhasa’s change.

A city with three-dimension traffic network and expanded road coverage

During recent years, transport sector in Lhasa has gained a tremendous development, playing an active role in accelerating the great-leap-forward of the city and improving the living conditions of local people.

Zhuo Ga, a native of Caina Village of Caina Town, Qushui County, runs a restaurant in the north suburb area of Lhasa. Her visits to home village have become much more frequent upon the completion of the expressway. About her early days of starting her own business alone in Lhasa more than one decade ago, the lady recalled, “It would take me two to three hours to travel between my home village and Lhasa. And I had to wait for long for chances to take a ride by a tractor. Even so, I should be cautious for avoiding dusk in sunny days and dirt in raining days.” “But now, things are totally different. My village enjoys much more convenience with outside world now. Liuwu Bridge is both magnificent and powerful. After entry into the urban area, taxis and buses can take us to wherever I want to go. Life now becomes much more easy for us”, added the lady.

Though the trip of Zhuo Ga from west to south then to north parts of Lhasa is not long in distance, it indicates a bright development outlook of the road infrastructure in Lhasa. Up to now, the connection rate among counties within Lhasa by pitch (cement) roads is 100%, towns 94.74%, and the formed villages 61.5%. The road connection rate among all villages of Lhasa is as high as 100%. A total of 13 passenger stations and 61 bus shelters have been built in Lhasa City and its rural areas respectively, basically satisfying the traffic demands of local people. The construction of a comprehensive passenger transport infrastructural system, which is expanded based on national and provincial roads, and features first-level and second-level of urban passenger stations as traffic hub, third-level and fifth-level of suburb passenger stations as transit stops, and suburb passenger booths are supplementary, is underway smoothly throughout Lhasa.

According to Lhasa traffic authority, Lhasa will step up efforts to shorten time intervals between bus shifts and travel time between destinations. It is expected as of 2020, Lhasa will meet the goal of “21141” to shorten the travel time by means of expanding road network coverage, and promoting road network performance and structure. Specifically, as for“21141”, it stands for travel time between urban areas is within 2 hours, between adjacent counties 1 hour, between any county and subordinated town 1 hour, and for transit vehicle running through the city 4 hours, between town and subordinated key farmer or herdsman settlement 1 hour.