Driving in China

Hi, at work I was given several different versions of this story in China. Interesting reading. Here is a link to it:

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I found it a bit surprising because in the south the highways seeem so new and so large and so under used. Also it sounds like there are alternate routes that could be used and at least some choose not to use it. Is it a balance between betweens the driver's time and money? I have been in a couple of 4 or 5 hour traffic jams but usually that was caused by weather ( snow and ice) or by tractor trailer roll overs. Have any of you seen anything like this in China?

Danny

Longest one i was in was 4 hours,that was our M25 a few years ago,cause of holdup was a MRTA,multi pile up in your language,and it was a lovely sunny day,no garage,no sellers,no toilets.it was a long wait.i use to drive 60-70 thousand miles a year,going to a site,doing my job,then go home,next day a different site,do i miss my job....NO WAY i am glad to be retired

The one thing the article did not mention, was local merchants are charging double and triple the price of food and are taking advantage of the drivers situation who need to eat.

The particular road in construction where the traffic jam is has no alternate routes. Other roads lead you nowhere towards Beijing. That is why they started this construction project. It is odd that they didn't open up a temporary alternate route until the construction is completed.

Snyder

i caught that on Yahoo with the merchants taking advantage of the captive audience so to speak. According to the Yahoo article, the traffic Jam just dissappeared almost overnight thanks to some creative rerouting. I'm like you Danny, knowing this ahead of time, I'd find a different route.

Longest traffic jam I have been in was coming home from school in LA. Tanker truck flipped at the end of the pass and the highway was closed while they cleaned up the hazmat. The pass had been closed by snow for a week so everyone was trying to get out. Can't imagine spending a day in traffic jam.

Here is video from the BBC that showed many trucks stop at one point along the traffic jam:

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and here is another story that had a reporter asking where the massive traffic had disappeared to:

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I wish we had the "technology" to clean up some of traffic jams that fast that we have in the west. I have travel several time on Guangxi 's highways and was always amazed to see the ladies in orange vest and cone hats sweeping along the (pay toll) highway. And also the once in a while when we saw cattle moving on and about the highway. The Guangxi highways outside the cities never seem to busy at all.

From some of the articles it sounded as if there were alternate routes. Most likely toll roads.

Danny