The Day After
I experienced both extremes of speed on China's freeways yesterday.
In a 10-person van on the way to Hangzhou we discovered what a traffic jam can come to in China. A two-car crash literally shut down a four-lane (becomes a 5 or 6-lane with Chinese drivers) expressway for over two hours. We tuned to the frequency advertised as providing road information but there was no word on the cause of the standstill. Some of the drivers managed to turn their cars around and try to drive in the opposite direction but found that the sides of the road had already been filled up with cars and trucks trying to scoot around the traffic.
For two hours we waited for something to happen, for "the authorities" to open up at least one lane or to create a crossover and divide the other side of the divided highway into a temporary two-lane. But the authorities only solution was to keep thousands of cars waiting while they cleaned up the mess. No thinking out of the box here.
As the jam finally loosened and drivers raced forward I noticed that this very modern divided highway was completely divided. There were no gaps in the iron guardrails in the middle. There was literally no way for anyone, including emergency crews, to cross over. A solid iron fence on the outside lane kept drivers from exiting that way as well. The planners of this highway had not planned for a need to create an emergency exit. Once thousands of cars and trucks get in a jam there is no way out - and the off ramps are many miles apart. It's a dangerous weakness in the system. Another example of the hardware outpacing the software (systems) in China.
But then maybe the planners had planned ahead afterall. If they had left the ocassional gap in the iron fences they no doubt knew that China's drivers would use those gaps. If they decided they wanted to turn around, pass cars, or just to see where the heck the hole led to the drivers here would zip through the gaps into oncoming traffic. That is simply a universal law of physics in China. If an empty space is percieved then people move very quickly to fill that space and see what advantage can come of it. That could be deadly on a highspeed highway.
As soon as the cars started moving they really moved. Cars and trucks were swerving all over the road trying to make up lost time. A number of cars had either run out of gas or battery while they were idling for two hours so here and there a vehicle was setting abandoned in the middle of a lane. The way the authorities had mishandled the situation was sure to lead to even more disasters. And of course, as is de rigeur in China, our rented van was without safety belts for anyone except the driver.
As you have no doubt surmised, I survived the trip to Hangzhou. The hour-long wait in a taxi line upon my return to Shanghai on a Friday night was an anti-climax to an exciting day on the road - in China.
I experienced both extremes of speed on China's freeways yesterday.
In a 10-person van on the way to Hangzhou we discovered what a traffic jam can come to in China. A two-car crash literally shut down a four-lane (becomes a 5 or 6-lane with Chinese drivers) expressway for over two hours. We tuned to the frequency advertised as providing road information but there was no word on the cause of the standstill. Some of the drivers managed to turn their cars around and try to drive in the opposite direction but found that the sides of the road had already been filled up with cars and trucks trying to scoot around the traffic.
For two hours we waited for something to happen, for "the authorities" to open up at least one lane or to create a crossover and divide the other side of the divided highway into a temporary two-lane. But the authorities only solution was to keep thousands of cars waiting while they cleaned up the mess. No thinking out of the box here.
As the jam finally loosened and drivers raced forward I noticed that this very modern divided highway was completely divided. There were no gaps in the iron guardrails in the middle. There was literally no way for anyone, including emergency crews, to cross over. A solid iron fence on the outside lane kept drivers from exiting that way as well. The planners of this highway had not planned for a need to create an emergency exit. Once thousands of cars and trucks get in a jam there is no way out - and the off ramps are many miles apart. It's a dangerous weakness in the system. Another example of the hardware outpacing the software (systems) in China.
But then maybe the planners had planned ahead afterall. If they had left the ocassional gap in the iron fences they no doubt knew that China's drivers would use those gaps. If they decided they wanted to turn around, pass cars, or just to see where the heck the hole led to the drivers here would zip through the gaps into oncoming traffic. That is simply a universal law of physics in China. If an empty space is percieved then people move very quickly to fill that space and see what advantage can come of it. That could be deadly on a highspeed highway.
As soon as the cars started moving they really moved. Cars and trucks were swerving all over the road trying to make up lost time. A number of cars had either run out of gas or battery while they were idling for two hours so here and there a vehicle was setting abandoned in the middle of a lane. The way the authorities had mishandled the situation was sure to lead to even more disasters. And of course, as is de rigeur in China, our rented van was without safety belts for anyone except the driver.
As you have no doubt surmised, I survived the trip to Hangzhou. The hour-long wait in a taxi line upon my return to Shanghai on a Friday night was an anti-climax to an exciting day on the road - in China.
posted by Kevcham at 6:55 AM
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