10 Days And 60 Miles Later, Traffic Jam Supposedly Breaking Up, Or Is It?

And you thought your daily commute was bad.

Imagine being stuck in an unbearable 10 day traffic jam that stretches 60 miles long. Can you even bear to think of it?

On my ride down from New York to Washington DC this weekend I got caught in approximately two hours of traffic and nearly drove my car into a tree, I just wanted the agony to stop. I cannot even comprehend 10 days of torture.

Even worse, the traffic jam created a new economy as those looking to capitalize on other's misfortunes took advantage of congested travelers.

The reason for this madness? You guessed it, roadwork. Yeah, that won't end until September. Looks like it will be a very long ride in China for the next month or so.

After 10 days of bumper-to-bumper stop-and-start congestion, a 60-mile-long, 10,000-vehicle traffic jam on a major freeway west of Beijing has been broken up, Chinese traffic authorities said on Tuesday.

The state television network CCTV said traffic had returned to normal on the Beijing-Zhangjiakou freeway, which stretches from the capital’s northwest suburbs to inner Mongolia...

[Source: The New York Times]

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rumnyc - 8/25/2010 12:18:13 AM

+4 Boost

Why is selling stuff to people stuck for 10 days "even worse"? these people need to eat/drink.

Agent00R - 8/25/2010 12:30:12 AM

0 Boost

You ever hear of price gouging?

Or did you not even bother to click through and read the NYTimes' coverage?

I am willing to wager no to both of those questions...

kablaam - 8/25/2010 2:10:12 AM

+4 Boost

Simple market principles:

Supply & Demand

I guess its gouging if you are on the receiving end of the blunt crappy stick.

What do you call selling a 3 BR house on a sprinkle of land in the suburbs of NY for close to a mil? Is this any different than selling an apple for 3 bucks? It's just weird that most people view the former as an investment win and the later - price gouging.

I'm just saying...

Agent00R - 8/26/2010 1:10:52 AM

0 Boost

@kablaam

Here's where your thought is incorrect.

Gouging is essentially taking advantage of consumers in a desperate time. Another example would be $8 waters at a rock concert with 100 degree temperatures. It's simply not the right thing to do.

Just like the vendors capitalizing on stranded traffic goers.

Your analogy to a 3 br house is totally off -- not only because I keep residence in the NY tri-state region -- but because people have the option to move into a variety of housing that fits their needs and budget most appropriately.

If a buyer of a 3br, $1 million house makes that transaction, they willing went out and chose that option -- meanwhile there are other properties that could fulfill their need -- where as a stranded traveler who is famished has no choice but to give in to a stupid price...

adamstc8 - 8/25/2010 12:06:58 PM

+1 Boost

Oh, I don't know, maybe have *breaks* in the work so that some of the MILLIONS of people trying to get through actually can?

Whelan - 8/25/2010 2:39:36 PM

0 Boost

I'll take that girl under the umbrella back to my truck for 50 Yen.

LexSucks - 8/25/2010 4:35:18 PM

+1 Boost

It's all Obama's fault!!