Transport peaks at holiday end
Updated: 2013-05-02 00:27
(China Daily)
|
|||||||||
China's transport system was tested on Wednesday as tourists returning from their May Day holiday trips pushed traffic flow in many places to record highs.
There were an estimated 2 million vehicles on the highways in Beijing on Wednesday, the last of the three-day holiday, a 41 percent rise from last year, according to the Beijing Municipal Commission of Transport.
A nationwide toll-free policy was implemented during the holiday, starting from Monday. It boosted tourism and increased the number of vehicles on the road.
Passengers enter the railway station in Yinchuan, the Ningxia Hui autonomous region, on Wednesday, the last day of the May Day holiday. Photo by Peng Zhaozhi / Xinhua |
The Beijing traffic authority said on Tuesday that the traffic congestion index reached 9.5 just before noon within Fifth Ring Road, the main urban area. The reading, on a scale from zero to 10, means "heavily congested".
From Wednesday afternoon, returning vehicles caused congestion along the sections of the Beijing-Tibet, Beijing-Chengde and Beijing-Kaifeng highways.
Traffic authorities said traffic jams in Beijing's main urban area will continue until Sunday because of the short interval between the May Day holiday and the weekend.
According to a statement from the Ministry of Transport, the highway network saw 21 major cases of congestion across the country as of 4 pm on Wednesday, including six heavy congestion cases caused by accidents.
The most heavy traffic flow appeared in the Shanghai section of the Shenyang-Haikou Highway, the Beijing section of the Beijing-Shanghai Highway and the Zhejiang section of the Shanghai-Kunming Highway, the statement said.
Railways also witnessed heavy pressure. On Monday, 8.88 million rail journeys were made in China, a record high for any May Day holiday.
- Michelle lays roses at site along Berlin Wall
- Historic space lecture in Tiangong-1 commences
- 'Sopranos' Star James Gandolfini dead at 51
- UN: Number of refugees hits 18-year high
- Slide: Jet exercises from aircraft carrier
- Talks establish fishery hotline
- Foreign buyers eye Chinese drones
- UN chief hails China's peacekeepers
Most Viewed
Editor's Picks
Pumping up power of consumption |
From China with love and care |
From the classroom to the boardroom |
Schools open overseas campus |
Domestic power of new energy |
Clearing the air |
Today's Top News
Shenzhou X astronaut gives lecture today
US told to reassess duties on Chinese paper
Chinese seek greater share of satellite market
Russia rejects Obama's nuke cut proposal
US immigration bill sees Senate breakthrough
Brazilian cities revoke fare hikes
Moody's warns on China's local govt debt
Air quality in major cities drops in May
US Weekly
Geared to go |
The place to be |