Dalian: Riding across Xinghaiwan Bridge
The one place I most wanted to cycle in Dalian was the 7km-long Xinghaiwan Bridge. But was it possible? The Xindong Bridge in Hainan has no bicycle lane or pedestrian sidewalk, is clearly marked as closed to bicycles, and I rode it anyway. But it is much shorter than the Xinghaiwan, which I wouldn’t care to ride hugging the rightmost car lane.
This video shows a pedestrian walkway and convinced me it might be possible and absent any other additional information through internet searches, I rode out there to find out for myself. Apart from a traffic sign prohibiting bicycles, there didn’t seem to be any impediment to cycling across. And so I did. Twice.
For those wanting to try, from the east side of the bridge:
1. There is a sign at the entrance to the bridge's pedestrian sidewalk indicating bicycles are prohibited.
2. I passed one cyclist while crossing and saw perhaps half a dozen joggers.
3. The sidewalk is wide enough for a pedestrian and a cyclist to pass one another.
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| At the top of the stairs |
4. The bridge is stacked, with eastward bound traffic moving below, westward above. When entering the eastward bound pedestrian sidewalk, you do so on the lower level along with the eastward moving automobiles. After about 1km the sidewalk ends and you have to ascend stairs to the upper level where the sidewalk continues. Be prepared to carry your bike approximately 60 steps. I didn't see an elevator.
5. When traveling eastward, once you reach the end of the bridge, you'll be shunted onto Binhai Road heading east (cars have the option of entering the tunnel to travel north under Dalian Forest Zoo). There is no way to get to the other side of the bridge to use the tunnel (unless you care to scale several barriers, dodge traffic, and likely have a visit from the police).
6. The westward pedestrian sidewalk appears to emerge from the tunnel, suggesting you could enter via Dongbei Road near the Dalian Library, pass through the tunnel, and then continue across the bridge.
I tried doing what I suggested in #6 and while there was a pedestrian walkway, it was quite narrow, no doubt for service personnel only. Perhaps the pedestrian walkway I observed passing into the tunnel terminates at a staircase to the zoo. If traveling from Xinghai Square on Binhai Road, you can follow the same path in reverse as I have described above.
Unfortunately, both days I rode were quite foggy and the views were limited, as you can see in the photos here, something I didn’t expect in the middle of summer. Perhaps I’ll have a chance to do this again on a day with clear skies.
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An album of my Dalian images:
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