--FILE--Chinese cyclists ride electric bikes through the Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, 3 July 2013. The growing number of private car drivers is at odds with the millions of residents who ride two- and three-wheeled electric cycles. The conflict has stirred emotions about inequality in urban China, pitting wealthier drivers against the blue-collar workers who need the electric bikes to make a living. Electric bicycles have proliferated from a demand for deliveries of goods sold online. Beijing and several other Chinese cities have moved to rein in the bikes, with some considering outright bans. The steps have been welcomed by car drivers who fume at cyclists buzzing through red lights and riding against traffic, often while peeking at smartphones mounted on their handlebars. Pedestrians also complain that the bikes honk noisily and hog the sidewalks. But owners of electric bikes and industry representatives said the bikes were being unfairly maligned for problems caused by the fact that there are too many cars. They have a point: In Beijing, cars often clog bike lanes and use sidewalks as parking lots with impunity.
