9 Day Traffic Jam

There's news out of China that a 9 day traffic jam is in progress:

According to China's state-run Global Times, "traffic authorities were still trying to cope with days-long congestion on a major national expressway, nine days after traffic slowed to a snail's pace."

NPR

60 miles long.  Could last up to 6 weeks.

When I look at the pictures I'm thinking that this isn't out in the middle of nowhere. There's tall buildings all around.  Questions arise.  Who was the architect of this highway? Where are the exits?

How can a traffic jam last for weeks?  What happens when the petrol runs out?  Do they declare it a parking lot and charge by the hour?


At what point do people stop blowing their horns?  Day 27?  Day 28?  Where do these people do their business?  What happens when hundreds of people say "Honey, we're walking!"? 

There's got to be a front of the line somewhere. What are those people doing?  Sight seeing?  Talking on their iPhones?  Doing their lashes? Somebody up there has got to make the decision to start running that red light.

Word is that the locals are selling food along the highway, at exorbitant prices. If they're smart they will look into the soap and water market, toothbursh and paste market, the portapotty market, the clothing market, portable TV's, iPads, batteries, deodorant...

If I were there I'd head over to the nearest 100 bikes shops and start loading up on the cheapest bikes they sell.  I'm betting you could get a pretty good return on your investment.


This would be a great ad for a folding bike.  "Stuck in a month long traffic jam?  No problem! Open up your trunk and take out the best most fabulous form of transportation ever devised by mankind!  20 seconds of unfolding and "See Ya Later Suckers"!".