Traffic jams, sprint for trains as holiday travel kicks off
Planning a trip during the upcoming eight-day Golden Week holiday, you might want to hit the road early to avoid traffic chaos.
One day before the holiday kicks off, Shanghai's roads were already turning into virtual parking lots, forcing people taking taxis to railway stations to get off early and run to catch their trains.
Millions of travelers created massive traffic jams all over the city. The top trending topic on social media platforms? "Crowds at train stations."
According to the city's transportation commission, nearly 8.66 million outbound and inbound travelers are expected to pass through Shanghai's Hongqiao traffic hub during the September 27 to October 8 period, which includes the National Day holiday and the Mid-Autumn Festival.
A netizen shared on social media his experience of rushing to catch his train – they had to sprint nearly 100 meters on an elevated road to catch their train.
"Roads to Hongqiao Railway Station and Hongqiao Airport were completely gridlocked. People in front of us were forced to jump out of their cars and run to make their train," the netizen explained. "We had to do the same."
National flags are hung on Shanghai's Nanjing Road pedestrian street to welcome National Day.
Nearly 80 percent of passengers will be using the railways to leave or return to Shanghai.
The outbound peak period is expected to fall on Friday, the first day of the holiday, with an estimated 435,000 people at the Hongqiao hub.
In terms of arriving passengers, the number is expected to hit 436,000 on October 6.
Traffic authorities suggest passengers and travelers leave early and avoid congestion at major traffic hubs and on highways.
Since around 1:30pm on Thursday, there has been congestion along the G40 Highway.
Some highways already saw signs of congestion on Thursday afternoon.
Traffic authorities also estimate that there will be traffic jams on the outbound direction of the G40 from Thursday afternoon to Saturday, and returning passengers might cause another congestion period from October 4 through late October 6.
The Shanghai South Long-Distance Bus Station operates around 5,600 inter-provincial buses, with around 150,000 outbound passengers on Thursday.
On Friday, an additional 20,000 passengers are estimated.
Major highways, including the S5, G15, G50 and G60, have encountered large traffic with a huge volume of outbound vehicles.
Roads and highways will be toll-free for passenger cars with up to seven seats nationwide from Friday to October 6. Authorities have urged drivers to mind the road signs and drive safely.
