Mega Traffic Jam China
Posted on 24 August 2010 by LynThomas in Society, Travel
While Beijing drivers are accustomed to delays and traffic jams, when it comes to a nine day, non stop epic traffic jam, even the hardiest driver’s nerves become frayed. On some days the traffic creeps no further than a third of a mile.
Beginning with a spike in heavy cargo-bearing trucks heading toward Beijing, the gridlock on the National Beijing-Tibet Expressway 110 was exacerbated when a construction project commenced five days later. Combined with small accidents and broken-down cars, the congestion has increased to horrendous proportions.
The nine-day traffic jam is now over 100 kms in length, with thousands of vehicles bogged down. The construction project is not due to finish until mid September. That means the traffic jam could continue for an entire month.
This is the second time in two months the stretch of road, 130 miles northwest of the capital, has been mega-clogged with traffic. It is believed that coal being transported from illegal coal mines in inner Mongolia is partly to blame. The trucks use the G110 because there are no coal checkpoints on the highway so the drivers do not have to bribe inspectors to turn a blind eye to the illegal loads.
Local residents in the area are trying to capitalize on the captive drivers, by offering food and drink along the roadway. However, a number of drivers have complained about exorbitant prices.
“Instant noodles are sold at four times the original price while I wait in the congestion,” one trucker said.
For the first time, China has overtaken the United States as the world’s biggest market for automobiles. It seems the home of Honda is challenging the home of Ford and Cadillac. In China, as elsewhere, the ownership of a vehicle is a symbol of economic progress.
Beijing now beats Mexico City, Johannesburg, Moscow and New Delhi to take top spot in traffic jams, according to the International Business Machines Corp. survey, which is based on a measure of the economic and emotional toll of commuting.
It is estimated Beijing will have seven million vehicles by 2015, according to the head of the Beijing Transportation Research Center and transportation will slow to what it was decades ago, when China was known as the Bicycle Kingdom.
