MSNBC: China's 60-mile traffic jam to last weeks

[Switchgear]

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And we thought our traffic sucks.

By ANITA CHANG

BEIJING — A massive traffic jam in northern China that hit its 10-day mark on Tuesday stems from road construction in Beijing that won't be finished until the middle of next month, an official said.

Bumper-to-bumper gridlock spanning 60 miles — with cars moving little more than a half-mile a day at one point — has improved since this weekend, said Zhang Minghai, director of Zhangjiakou city's Traffic Management Bureau general office.

But he said he wasn't sure when the situation along the Beijing-Zhangjiakou highway would return to normal.

The traffic jam started Aug. 14 on a stretch of the Beijing-Zhangjiakou highway. That section has frequently been congested, especially after large coalfields were discovered in Inner Mongolia, Zhang said. Traffic volume has increased 40 percent every year.

Drivers stranded in the gridlock in the Inner Mongolia region and Hebei province, headed toward Beijing, passed the time sleeping, walking around or playing cards and chess. Local villagers were doing brisk business selling instant noodles, boxed lunches and snacks, weaving between the parked trucks on bicycles.

[Thiebear]

how many cars in a mile?

Has improved since this weekend thats hilarious.

270 isn't that bad i guess.

[Stew]

wow, they have been in traffic since Aug 14th? How does an Ambulance get to the middle of that if someone goes into labor or needs help? Helicopter my ass, unless they are landing waaaay out in a field and run up with a rickshaw.

[Hubbs]

Kind of cool how people are turning it into a sort of "moving city" by selling food, playing games, etc.

[SKINS@THEGOALLINE]

Anyone call for a rickshaw?

[Obibyn23]

Drivers stranded in the gridlock in the Inner Mongolia region and Hebei province, headed toward Beijing, passed the time sleeping, walking around or playing cards and chess. Local villagers were doing brisk business selling instant noodles, boxed lunches and snacks, weaving between the parked trucks on bicycles.

Passing the time? Sleeping? Walking? Cards? Eating? Needs Help?

Um....how and where are they going #1 & #2 is what I want to know.

[Teller]

I remember coming home from Ocean City once as a kid. There was an accident near the Kent Narrows Bridge. We got out of the car, played frisbee with some fellow "strandees," walked over to the outlets, had lunch, did some shopping, got back in the car and went home. That was the worst dead-stop traffic jam I had ever seen, and it was "only" about 2 1/2 hours.

Pretty cool though, I met Glenn Brenner and Charley Casserly in the Nike Outlet while we were waiting.

[jnhay]

And this is the fastest growing economy in the world?

[pjfootballer]

I'd hate to be the last car in line.

[PokerPacker]

I'd hate to be the last car in line.

If I were the last car, I'd turn around.

[SellersHappens]

Odd how a government so sure of its ability to centrally plan everything was unable to predict the effects of shutting down a major road in Beijing.

[PCS]

Meanwhile in the traffic jam. "Hello? Yeah it's me. Ummmm. I'm going to be a little late for that meeting on the 30th................. What? Well yeah I left early. Right around the 15th. Should have been plenty of time. Sorry."