http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100823...inaroadtraffic
NINE DAY TRAFFIC JAM
BEIJING (AFP) – Thousands of vehicles were bogged down Monday in a more than 100-kilometre (62-mile) traffic jam leading to Beijing that has lasted nine days and highlights China's growing road congestion woes.
The Beijing-Tibet expressway slowed to a crawl on August 14 due to a spike in traffic by cargo-bearing heavy trucks heading to the capital, and compounded by road maintenance work that began five days later, the Global Times said.
The state-run newspaper said the jam between Beijing and Jining city had given birth to a mini-economy with local merchants capitalising on the stranded drivers' predicament by selling them water and food at inflated prices.
The bicycle has been the predominate mode of transportation in China for decades, or longer... but as the economy of China has improved and has taken on shades of capitalism, the automobile has become the latest acquisition... something to show off the wealth.
Now areas that were designed with the bicycle in mind, are succumbing to the larger empty volume of the auto... with the resultant traffic jams.
I wonder if they think "adding another lane" will be the solution?
When I was in Hangzhou several years ago, an entire new tech center had been built to serve the needs of a multitude of new rising companies. In this new tech center were several high rise office buildings, hotels, restaurants and apartment buildings, but NO parking lots. The building I worked in was a multi story building (I think 10 stories) and had room for parking about 25 autos. Around back the bikes were stacked against the building like cordwood... 5-6 deep, the whole width of the building.
How China plans to deal with all those people thinking they can or want to drive, is beyond me. Although on a positive note, it is considerably harder and more expensive to get a drivers license in China.