The biggest frustration for anyone moving freight across any road network in the world is a traffic jam. Well, it’s probably a frustration for almost anybody, I guess. Most traffic jams you and I are in can hardly be called a traffic jam if you compare them to some of the biggest traffic jams in history. One of the winners must be the Highway 110 traffic jam in China:
The China National Highway 110 traffic jam was a recurring massive traffic jam that began to form on August 14, 2010, mostly on China National Highway 110 (G110) and Beijing–Tibet expressway (G6), in Hebei and Inner Mongolia. The traffic jam slowed down thousands of vehicles for more than 100 kilometres (60 mi) and lasted for more than ten days. Many drivers were able to move their vehicles only 1 km (0.6 mi) per day, and some drivers reported being stuck in the traffic jam for five days.
The Most Congested Roads in the World
When searching for the most congested roads in the world, I came across the list below, which I found on Forbes. I was shocked to see my hometown Rotterdam on the #8 spot!
Here’s where in the world INRIX found commuters wasting the most time with their hands on the wheel, staring the bumpers of the cars ahead of them:
- Brussels, Belgium
- Antwerp, Belgium
- Los Angeles, USA
- Milan, Italy
- London, U.K.
- Paris, France
- Honolulu, USA
- Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Manchester, UK
- San Francisco, USA
Over, Instead of Through Traffic
Back to China. A Chinese company has designed a bus that can drive over and above traffic jams. It is a great idea, and it looks very cool. The bus can move at speeds of up to 60 km/hr, and it runs on rails and rides high above the ground. When there is no traffic jam, vehicles of up to 2 meters can pass under the bus. I guess that would be called undertaking the bus? And did I mention it is electrically powered?
Now imagine a similar design carrying freight over traffic jams…
Check out the video below:
Vehicles are seen stuck in a traffic jam near a toll station as people return home at the end of a week-long national holiday in Beijing, China, October 6, 2015. The picture was taken on October 6, 2015. REUTERS/China Daily
