Traffic Jams In Beijing Reach New Records Of Congestion

From NetEase:

On September 17th, the peak number of congested roads during Beijing’s evening rush hour exceeded 140, surpassing the record of 90 set earlier this year during heavy snows

Comments from NetEase:

网易北京朝阳网友:

[Beijing] isn’t number one in the world for number of cars, but Beijing’s special characteristic is that it has too many too many danwei [work units, companies, organizations], too many too many cars from outside the city entering the city (to do business, have meetings, etc.), and too many high rises all causing paralysis [of the city’s traffic]. Therefore, the companies must relocate, their staff must relocate, and even the central body [government?] should relocate, otherwise traffic will be paralyzed.

There’s an urban planning problem, the roads having over 10 companies on them, none of them willing to move away, the old buildings torn down only to be rebuilt higher and higher, with more and more people. Just look at the congestion/traffic jams during rush hour, already seriously exceeding limits. Even if half of the companies were moved away, it wouldn’t be too much. If the companies don’t relocate, it isn’t possible for cars from outside of the city to lessen. If the hospital doesn’t relocate, the number of cars going to the hospital will be congested. All construction inside the fifth ring should be stopped, and half of the companies relocated out within ten years.

At this point, developing/increasing transportation or rail transportation is not going to solve the problem. Just look at how crowded the subway is. At this point, what needs to be done is relocating the companies outwards, relocating the population outwards.

网易河北唐山网友:

Aren’t Tokyo and New York also congested?

网易火星网友:

Awaiting the country to once again allocate funds, to once again increase infrastructure development!

网易四川成都网友:

Kill off 70% of the population and [the problem] will be solved. Everyone draw lots, those that draw life get to live on, and those who draw death will be killed off.

网易广东深圳网友:

This is exactly the kind of “scene/sight” I want to see, because this is what shows our “national strength”, this is the result of our automotive industrial policy, so continue boasting as loudly as you can, continue encouraging the so-called development of internal consumption, continue automotive consumption, pollute the environment we depend on to survive until it is a mess, congest our streets until even diarrhea cannot flow, and exhaust all of our children and grandchildren’s natural resources because this is the glory of our present government!

网易中国手机网友:

With the ground so dirty, the cars so lousy, and the people such trash, it would be weird if there wasn’t congestion! For northern people, whether there is congestion or not, they don’t care.

网易吉林吉林网友:

Ban private cars in Beijing, strictly forbid cars from outside the city from entering, and have everyone ride public transportation. Wouldn’t that solve it?

网易河南漯河网友:

An urban planning problem. Beijing as a city is simply greedy, wanting everything. Political center, logistics center, financial center, etc. Just let go of some city roles/functions and it’ll be get better.

网易北京网友:

Beijing should most learn from Washington D.C., but those SBs still want to make Beijing like Tokyo and New York.

网易北京网友:

Whoever says each person should have a car again I am going to hit them.

After each person has a house, there will be even more problems similar to this.

I now feel that if women didn’t drive, if adults didn’t drive their kids, and companies don’t drive buses [for transporting their employees], then the traffic would definitely be alleviated a lot.

If they can then open up/develop special traffic lanes, then it would be even better.

And if the center divider on the roads could move, that too could solve many single-direction congestion problems!

网易江苏网友:

The day you feel driving a private car is no longer an enjoyment but a kind of torment, who are you going to blame?

网易湖北十堰网友:

There are too many reasons for the congestion/traffic jams. So many people in Beijing have two or more cars, with some families nearly having a car for each family member. The even/odd license plate rule [where your license plate number determines what days you can drive that car] simply caused some people to have yet another excuse to buy cars. If you don’t solve the problem of traffic congestion at the root, it will only get more congested.