Chronic Overcrowding Leads to Never-Ending Traffic Jam in China

摘要

In mid-August, traffic came to a screeching halt between Beijing and the city of Jining. Cars and trucks were backed up for more than 60 mi in a traffic jam that lasted for morernthan 10 days along the Beijing-Tibet Expressway. The jam resulted from a combination of peak seasonal travel, increased freight traffic, and road construction. It was made worse because some motorists did not have access to information about traffic conditions. Although construction played a role in the jam, the underlying cause of China's seemingly endless traffic woes is chronic overcrowding on key roadways. Last year, automobile sales in China exceeded those in the United States for the first time.