China transport ministry flags 33 highway sections for Oct 4 congestion
In short
China's Ministry of Transport said 33 sections of national highway are prone to congestion on Oct 4, the middle of the National Day holiday, mainly in Jiangsu, Sichuan, Guangdong, Hunan and Zhejiang. The ministry advised travellers planning to use those sections to adjust their travel time and route. Holiday highway traffic has averaged about 62.8 million vehicle trips a day, with Oct 1 the busiest day, according to a Sept 30 ministry forecast.
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China's Ministry of Transport said 33 sections of national highway are prone to congestion on Oct 4, with the affected sections concentrated mainly in Jiangsu, Sichuan, Guangdong, Hunan and Zhejiang provinces. The ministry advised travellers who plan to pass through those sections to arrange their travel time and route in advance. Xinhua, China News Service and IT Home all carried the advisory, and China News Service said a list of the congestion-prone sections and of especially busy charging service areas had been released. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The advisory follows the ministry's Sept 30 forecast for the National Day holiday road network. According to that forecast, average daily highway traffic during the holiday is about 62.8 million vehicle trips, and Oct 1 was the day with the largest highway traffic volume. Holiday travel is mainly cross-regional long-distance tourism and family visits, with longer journeys and wider coverage than usual, according to the forecast. [ 2 ]
From Oct 2 to Oct 6, the forecast put total highway traffic at roughly 62 million to 64 million vehicle trips a day, with travel mainly consisting of movement between scenic spots and short regional transfers. Return traffic is expected to be released in a more scattered way in the later part of the holiday, though pressure remains higher on routes into large cities and on inter-provincial return trunk lines. On Oct 7, the last day of the holiday, some sections may see brief concentrations of passenger cars leaving the highway near the evening cutoff of free tolls. [ 2 ]
Why it matters
The advisory covers a peak travel day of China's National Day holiday, when long-distance tourism and family visits push highway volumes to their highest levels of the year, so it is directly useful to anyone driving on Oct 4. The ministry's forecast also points to continuing pressure on city-bound and inter-provincial return routes through the end of the holiday.
Key facts
- The Ministry of Transport said 33 sections of national highway are prone to congestion on Oct 4, concentrated mainly in Jiangsu, Sichuan, Guangdong, Hunan and Zhejiang. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The ministry advised travellers planning to pass those sections to arrange their travel time and route in advance. [ 2 , 3 ]
- According to the ministry's Sept 30 holiday road network forecast, average daily highway traffic during the holiday is about 62.8 million vehicle trips. [ 2 ]
- Oct 1 was the day with the largest highway traffic volume of the holiday, the forecast said. [ 2 ]
- From Oct 2 to Oct 6, total highway traffic is expected to stay at about 62 million to 64 million vehicle trips a day. [ 2 ]
- On Oct 7, the last day of the holiday, short bursts of passenger cars leaving the highway may occur on some sections near the evening cutoff of free tolls, the forecast said. [ 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The Ministry of Transport said 33 sections of national highway are prone to congestion on Oct 4, concentrated mainly in Jiangsu, Sichuan, Guangdong, Hunan and Zhejiang. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The ministry advised travellers planning to pass those sections to arrange their travel time and route in advance. [ 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- Which 33 highway sections are involved, and which charging service areas are named in the list published alongside the advisory. The documents state the number of sections and the main provinces but do not name the individual sections or service areas.
- The full figures and methodology behind the ministry's Sept 30 holiday road network forecast, including the 62.8 million daily traffic estimate. Only one document, IT Home, reports these details, and it attributes them to the ministry's Sept 30 forecast.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Xinhua reports that the Ministry of Transport found 33 highway sections prone to congestion on Oct 4. [ 1 ]
- IT Home publishes the warning with detail from the ministry's Sept 30 holiday road network forecast, including the 62.8 million daily vehicle-trip estimate. [ 2 ]
- China News Service, citing the Ministry of Transport, reports the same congestion warning for Oct 4 and refers to a published list of affected sections and busy charging service areas. [ 3 ]