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Regional Boards => International Highways => Topic started by: Mergingtraffic on October 09, 2015, 05:45:33 PM

Title: China's 50-lane expressway?
Post by: Mergingtraffic on October 09, 2015, 05:45:33 PM
I read that the G4 Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau Expressway in China had a massive traffic jam where 50-lanes merged into 20. 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/10/09/thousands-stuck-traffic-jam-beijing-china-highway/73644000/

I checked GSV but it shows the expressway over wooded area, so I can't see for myself.

Now, the story above seems to be stretched for the "WOW" factor.  Is it reaaaalllly 50-lanes wide or is it that wide at a toll booth?  To me, that makes a big difference. 
Title: Re: China's 50-lane expressway?
Post by: 1995hoo on October 09, 2015, 06:05:23 PM
I saw something about that on TV last night. It looked like a toll plaza.

Edited to add: WTOP's story has a similar photo to what I saw on TV. http://wtop.com/world/2015/10/thousands-of-cars-stuck-in-beijing-traffic-jam-on-50-lane-highway/

The Daily Mail has far better, and far more, photos:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/peoplesdaily/article-3263440/Thousands-motorists-stranded-Beijing-motorway-incredible-50-lane-traffic-jam-week-long-national-holiday-wraps-up.html
Title: Re: China's 50-lane expressway?
Post by: cappicard on October 10, 2015, 12:30:11 AM
Quote from: Mergingtraffic on October 09, 2015, 05:45:33 PM
I read that the G4 Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau Expressway in China had a massive traffic jam where 50-lanes merged into 20. 

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2015/10/09/thousands-stuck-traffic-jam-beijing-china-highway/73644000/

I checked GSV but it shows the expressway over wooded area, so I can't see for myself.

Now, the story above seems to be stretched for the "WOW" factor.  Is it reaaaalllly 50-lanes wide or is it that wide at a toll booth?  To me, that makes a big difference.
It's at a toll booth or checkpoint. As the story says, but it's buried.
Title: Re: China's 50-lane expressway?
Post by: Chris on October 10, 2015, 04:16:29 AM
It is a 25 lane toll gate. The media likes to exaggerate things. The expressway was shut down earlier due to intense fog, exacerbating the traffic congestion towards Beijing at the end of the 'Golden Week' holidays.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.54883,116.03443,677m/data=!3m1!1e3
Title: Re: China's 50-lane expressway?
Post by: Alps on October 10, 2015, 09:36:18 AM
Quote from: Chris on October 10, 2015, 04:16:29 AM
It is a 25 lane toll gate. The media likes to exaggerate things. The expressway was shut down earlier due to intense fog, exacerbating the traffic congestion towards Beijing at the end of the 'Golden Week' holidays.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.54883,116.03443,677m/data=!3m1!1e3
Thank you. I was looking for a place to rant. 4 lane expressway, and the traffic jam definitely went beyond that hastily constructed checkpoint. That said, it's a huge bottleneck that takes away most of the width leaving the plaza.
Title: Re: China's 50-lane expressway?
Post by: Chris on October 10, 2015, 11:31:42 AM
This expressway has some interesting history. As one of the older expressways in China (probably built in the early 1990s) it had only four lanes. With the tremendous growth of traffic since, and expansion was necessary.

So what they did was close the entire expressway from Beijing to Shijiazhuang (100 miles) and then removed the whole expressway and then built a new eight lane expressway.

Here's a gif near Baoding:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fcdn.makeagif.com%2Fmedia%2F10-10-2015%2F6BlMp5.gif&hash=7021d6b0ab4b745b042050f84a586bae945bf732)
Title: Re: China's 50-lane expressway?
Post by: triplemultiplex on October 10, 2015, 05:25:45 PM
Gee whaddya know, a headline about something crazy in China turns out to be bullshit.
How in the hell does 25 = 50?
Title: Re: China's 50-lane expressway?
Post by: davewiecking on October 10, 2015, 05:49:49 PM
Quote from: triplemultiplex on October 10, 2015, 05:25:45 PM
How in the hell does 25 = 50?
When you count both directions, each of which has a separate 25 lane checkpoint/toll plaza/whatever....
Title: Re: China's 50-lane expressway?
Post by: Alps on October 11, 2015, 02:26:51 AM
Quote from: davewiecking on October 10, 2015, 05:49:49 PM
Quote from: triplemultiplex on October 10, 2015, 05:25:45 PM
How in the hell does 25 = 50?
When you count both directions, each of which has a separate 25 lane checkpoint/toll plaza/whatever....
Alternatively, they saw more than 40 cars stacked across and assumed it was 50. (I counted about 45 lanes queuing for 25 tollbooths.)
Title: Re: China's 50-lane expressway?
Post by: formulanone on October 11, 2015, 09:47:16 AM
Either 25 or 50, the numbers don't really matter...it's still a ginormous clusterfuck of a design. Hell, that makes the Garden State Parkway funnels look appetizing.
Title: Re: China's 50-lane expressway?
Post by: GaryV on October 11, 2015, 01:37:20 PM
Is lane-splitting legal in China?

(Ducks, and dons asbestos underwear)
Title: Re: China's 50-lane expressway?
Post by: Zmapper on October 19, 2015, 03:04:21 AM
Does China have any sort of electronic toll collection, or plans to introduce ETC?
Title: Re: China's 50-lane expressway?
Post by: Chris on October 19, 2015, 09:33:04 AM
Yes, there is a nationwide ETC system. There used to be separate systems for each province and autonomous region, but they became interoperable in 2014-2015. As of September 2015, there are 21 million transponders in use. But they do not have open road tolling as far as I know. They have the French-style, low-speed ETC systems through the traditional toll booths.

Fun fact: there are 12,000 ETC lanes and 50,000 manual lanes in China (source (http://www.china.org.cn/china/2015-09/29/content_36706815.htm))
Title: Re: China's 50-lane expressway?
Post by: Duke87 on October 20, 2015, 11:57:36 PM
Quote from: Alps on October 10, 2015, 09:36:18 AM
Quote from: Chris on October 10, 2015, 04:16:29 AM
It is a 25 lane toll gate. The media likes to exaggerate things. The expressway was shut down earlier due to intense fog, exacerbating the traffic congestion towards Beijing at the end of the 'Golden Week' holidays.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.54883,116.03443,677m/data=!3m1!1e3
Thank you. I was looking for a place to rant. 4 lane expressway, and the traffic jam definitely went beyond that hastily constructed checkpoint. That said, it's a huge bottleneck that takes away most of the width leaving the plaza.

Yeah, what the hell is up with that building in the middle of the road immediately after the toll plaza? The Chinese Stasi decide that the best way to limit travel was to literally obstruct it?
Title: Re: China's 50-lane expressway?
Post by: vdeane on October 21, 2015, 01:06:28 PM
Maybe it's one of those infamous buildings that never get removed because the owner didn't consent to leave? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2236746/Road-built-building-couple-refuse-China.html
Title: Re: China's 50-lane expressway?
Post by: Chris on October 21, 2015, 02:26:31 PM
According to historical imagery in Google Earth, this building was constructed at the same time as the enlarged toll plaza in 2014-2015.

It seems to be some kind of checkpoint.
Title: Re: China's 50-lane expressway?
Post by: GaryV on October 21, 2015, 07:44:24 PM
Quote from: vdeane on October 21, 2015, 01:06:28 PM
Maybe it's one of those infamous buildings that never get removed because the owner didn't consent to leave? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2236746/Road-built-building-couple-refuse-China.html

I thought that only happened to Bugs Bunny.
Title: Re: China's 50-lane expressway?
Post by: mrsman on October 25, 2015, 08:44:09 AM
Quote from: GaryV on October 21, 2015, 07:44:24 PM
Quote from: vdeane on October 21, 2015, 01:06:28 PM
Maybe it's one of those infamous buildings that never get removed because the owner didn't consent to leave? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2236746/Road-built-building-couple-refuse-China.html

I thought that only happened to Bugs Bunny.

It's pretty ridiculous that this even happens.  I thought that China was a dictatorship and could force out those who were in the way.  Even in this country, for a public works project, we can use eminent domain.  Now, it is not easy to do, but at least it is possible.
Title: Re: China's 50-lane expressway?
Post by: kurumi on October 25, 2015, 03:41:15 PM
Quote from: GaryV on October 11, 2015, 01:37:20 PM
Is lane-splitting legal in China?

(Ducks, and dons asbestos underwear)

(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww-tc.pbs.org%2Fwgbh%2Fpages%2Ffrontline%2Fteach%2Ftankman%2Fart%2Fbigphoto.jpg&hash=461928bdeb7e800663b86f1f368c65faec295790)
Looks like it is not. But that photo's from 1989.
Title: Re: China's 50-lane expressway?
Post by: vdeane on October 25, 2015, 04:38:03 PM
Quote from: mrsman on October 25, 2015, 08:44:09 AM
Quote from: GaryV on October 21, 2015, 07:44:24 PM
Quote from: vdeane on October 21, 2015, 01:06:28 PM
Maybe it's one of those infamous buildings that never get removed because the owner didn't consent to leave? http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2236746/Road-built-building-couple-refuse-China.html

I thought that only happened to Bugs Bunny.

It's pretty ridiculous that this even happens.  I thought that China was a dictatorship and could force out those who were in the way.  Even in this country, for a public works project, we can use eminent domain.  Now, it is not easy to do, but at least it is possible.
At one time, they would have been able to.  But they must have forgotten to have eminent domain when they created private property rights.