China Traffic Jam Could Last Weeks

[VanceMack]

How the **** is this even possible???

BEIJING—A 60-mile traffic jam near the Chinese capital could last until mid-September, officials say.
A jammed section of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou highway in Huailai.Traffic has been snarled along the outskirts of Beijing and is stretching toward the border of Inner Mongolia ever since roadwork on the Beijing-Tibet Highway started Aug. 13. The following week, parts of a major road circling Beijing were closed, further tightening overburdened roadways.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100...73989748704.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLETopStories

OK...I will never bitch about California traffic ever again...


(yeah I will...I lied)

 

[LimeLight]

They have to pay around 7.50 US Dollars a day buying food and drinks. And they consider that outrageous!

 

[Orion]

It's over 100km now, and it's happening because of a major construction project.

 

[VanceMack]

It's over 100km now, and it's happening because of a major construction project.

Geez...they have a lousy infomation ministry...someone should have put out some traffic cones or something...

 

[Orion]

Geez...they have a lousy infomation ministry...someone should have put out some traffic cones or something...

Heh... you have obviously never been to China.

It is typical of the Chinese to pick a peak time to start a construction project, give no one any notice, and then have poor traffic direction all the while. They probably only have one lane operating around the construction site, and the one person they put in charge of directing traffic is either a newbie or is taking a nap. Then of course, people who are fed up have no doubt turned off their engines, and have joined together with other drivers to have a friendly game of cards and gambling in the middle of the highway, obstructing things further.

Seriously... the public there is always the last to know. If the government wants to do construction, then guess what, you all have to wait 3 weeks and sit in traffic for 10 days before you can go anywhere.

In fairness though, people can leave and take other routes. Most of them are convinced that this route will free up "any minute", which means faster travel, which means more productivity and money making.

There are still some things about that country that I will NEVER understand.

 

[ludahai]

They have to pay around 7.50 US Dollars a day buying food and drinks. And they consider that outrageous!

for people who make less than $100 per month, that IS outrageous ... especially when it is ten to fifteen TIMES the normal price...

 

[VanceMack]

Heh... you have obviously never been to China.

It is typical of the Chinese to pick a peak time to start a construction project, give no one any notice, and then have poor traffic direction all the while. They probably only have one lane operating around the construction site, and the one person they put in charge of directing traffic is either a newbie or is taking a nap. Then of course, people who are fed up have no doubt turned off their engines, and have joined together with other drivers to have a friendly game of cards and gambling in the middle of the highway, obstructing things further.

Seriously... the public there is always the last to know. If the government wants to do construction, then guess what, you all have to wait 3 weeks and sit in traffic for 10 days before you can go anywhere.

In fairness though, people can leave and take other routes. Most of them are convinced that this route will free up "any minute", which means faster travel, which means more productivity and money making.

There are still some things about that country that I will NEVER understand.

Never been there and if I go I guess I will pick a hotel by the airport and use a scooter! I just dont see how people live like that. can you imagine being stuck in a traffic jam for even a DAY...let alone 3 weeks?

 

[ludahai]

Never been there and if I go I guess I will pick a hotel by the airport and use a scooter! I just dont see how people live like that. can you imagine being stuck in a traffic jam for even a DAY...let alone 3 weeks?

That is a long trip to downtown Beijing or Shanghai from their respective airports on a scooter...

 

[VanceMack]

That is a long trip to downtown Beijing or Shanghai from their respective airports on a scooter...

Compared to sitting in a traffic jam for 3 weeks?

 

[ludahai]

Compared to sitting in a traffic jam for 3 weeks?

This is on an intercity highway, not on roads within a city from airport to downtown...

 

[VanceMack]

This is on an intercity highway, not on roads within a city from airport to downtown...

Well going by what Orion is saying thats the norm, and not the exception.

 

[Coronado]

Never been there and if I go I guess I will pick a hotel by the airport and use a scooter! I just dont see how people live like that. can you imagine being stuck in a traffic jam for even a DAY...let alone 3 weeks?

You gotta remember that not everybody has to drive their own personal vehicle to where they are going. Buses and taxicabs (though frightening) are used by most people who have to get across town for some reason.

It is kind of the same situation as in Manhattan (minus the subway in smaller cities).

 

[VanceMack]

You gotta remember that not everybody has to drive their own personal vehicle to where they are going. Buses and taxicabs (though frightening) are used by most people who have to get across town for some reason.

It is kind of the same situation as in Manhattan (minus the subway in smaller cities).

True Im sure...but still...what about those poor bastards that are??? Thats a massive line of traffic.

 

[Orion]

Well going by what Orion is saying thats the norm, and not the exception.

This particular traffic jam that made world news is unheard of. Road blocks and collapses do happen but it's mostly in remote areas, not on the main highway.

Most airports and hotels are located far, far from the centre of cities, more so than even North American airports are from their city centres. Chengdu airport, for example, is almost 2 hours away from Chengdu itself! Remember, Chinese cities were already huge before they ever had commercial aviation.

Also, going to a hotel out in the boonies is... kind of creepy. The people around there are mostly farmers and most have never dealt with foreigners before. You're better off just taking a cab to the city centre. Make sure the meter is running though because once the driver sees whitey they might turn it off and charge you some outrageous rate later.

 

[ludahai]

Also, going to a hotel out in the boonies is... kind of creepy. The people around there are mostly farmers and most have never dealt with foreigners before. You're better off just taking a cab to the city centre. Make sure the meter is running though because once the driver sees whitey they might turn it off and charge you some outrageous rate later.

And also, at least make it look like you have some idea where you are going. Otherwise, you run the risk of being taken for a long ride for an inflated fare. Having a map if you don't speak the language us often enough to prevent this from happening, and nearly all streets have Hanyu Pinyin under the Simplified (fake) Chinese characters on the street signs...

 

[Orion]

Simplified characters aren't fake, and it's a real written language given that over a billion people use it. I know there are political differences between Taiwan and mainland China, but no need to be over the top about it. (P.S. I know both simplified and traditional so don't take this as an endorsement.)

 

[ludahai]

Simplified characters aren't fake, and it's a real written language given that over a billion people use it. I know there are political differences between Taiwan and mainland China, but no need to be over the top about it. (P.S. I know both simplified and traditional so don't take this as an endorsement.)

Nah, they are fake... only Taiwan and Hong Kong use real Chinese Characters... :mrgreen:

 

[Orion]

Nah, they are fake... only Taiwan and Hong Kong use real Chinese Characters... :mrgreen:

Too bad Hong Kong is no longer the economic powerhouse it once was.... or that Taiwan is not an actual country. :mrgreen:

 

[ludahai]

Too bad Hong Kong is no longer the economic powerhouse it once was.... or that Taiwan is not an actual country. :mrgreen:

Hmmm... Taiwan has its own currency, its own tax structure, its own military, easily definable borders, a permanent population, regular democratic elections.... sounds like a country to me... :mrgreen:

 

[Orion]

Hmmm... Taiwan has its own currency, its own tax structure, its own military, easily definable borders, a permanent population, regular democratic elections.... sounds like a country to me... :mrgreen:

I was just poking fun.

 

[ludahai]

I was just poking fun.

Sorry... letting Demon of Light (sic)'s idiocy getting to me...

 

[StandUpChuck]

I think you guys are misunderstanding. The jam (or jamming) could last weeks, it's not people actually staying in one jam for 3 weeks.

Truck driver Long Jie said his usual trip from the coal boomtown of Baotou in Inner Mongolia to Beijing, which normally takes three days, was now taking him a week or more. The delay, he said, meant he would have to raise his rates above the usual 12,000 yuan, about $1,765, for a 30-ton truck full of cargo.

Although mind numbing to fathom, it's not 3 weeks sitting in a traffic jam.

 

[jamesrage]

How the **** is this even possible???

BEIJING—A 60-mile traffic jam near the Chinese capital could last until mid-September, officials say.
A jammed section of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou highway in Huailai.Traffic has been snarled along the outskirts of Beijing and is stretching toward the border of Inner Mongolia ever since roadwork on the Beijing-Tibet Highway started Aug. 13. The following week, parts of a major road circling Beijing were closed, further tightening overburdened roadways.


China Traffic Jam Could Last Into September - WSJ.com

OK...I will never bitch about California traffic ever again...


(yeah I will...I lied)

This explains how it is possible :mrgreen:

fast forward to 1:12 and watch, fast forward to 2:55 and watch and then fast forward to 6:31 and watch
Drawn.Together.207.Super Nanny (flv video) free file download at fliiby.com

Supernanny | Drawn Together | Comedy Central