Frequent traffic tailbacks on China highway arouse public concern

(chinatrucks.com, Oct. 14, 2009)Frequent traffic jams extending up to 55 km on a highway mainly used to transport coal out of a north China county have aroused nationwide concern.

More than 2,000 vehicles, mostly heavy trucks carrying coal, have been stuck in the latest traffic congestion since Monday evening that has tailed back for more than 50 km on the 60-km Shenpan Highway, which links the Xingxian County in Shanxi Province and coal-rich Shenmu County in Shaanxi Province.

By Tuesday afternoon, the situation has only been eased a little and dozens of traffic police officers were dispatched to keep the order.

"I have been stuck here for more than three hours. There are too many vehicles," said a truck driver Wu Yongqing from the Linxian County in Shanxi Tuesday afternoon.

Wu and other drivers had to stop their vehicles and buy instant noodles, bottled water and biscuits from local farmers to ease hunger.

Since September, traffic tailbacks involving thousands of coal-loaded vehicles have often been seen on the Shenpan Highway.

It usually takes drivers two or three days to struggle through the road, said Mao Yongdong, a traffic police officer in Shenmu.

"Poor road conditions and traffic management as well as a drastic increase of coal-transporting trucks in this season are mainly to blame for the serious traffic jams," he said.

The highway was put into use in 2002 and is only eight meters wide. It is a peak season for coal trading now, and everyday about8,000 trucks are traveling on the road, compared to the designed handling capacity of 1,260 trucks per day.

"Once a traffic accident happens or a truck breaks down, then a massive traffic jam would easily take place," said Hu Yinbao, from the office in charge of road transport in Xingxian County.

The frequent traffic jams have aroused attention from local transport authorities.

"We have advised Shaanxi authorities to divert trucks traveling from Shenmu to Xingxian," said Zhang Zhichuan, deputy director of the Shanxi Provincial Department of Transport.

"But to resolve the issue fundamentally, we will renovate the highway and improve its condition and handling capacity," he said.

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