As China’s extended holiday period, combining National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival, came to an end, people returning home encountered 24-hour-long traffic at the Wuzhuang toll station in Anhui Province.
The Wuzhuang toll station is the largest in China, comprising 36 lanes. A viral drone footage shows endless trails of red lights dispersing into multiple lanes before converging into 4 lanes at the toll booths. According to the authorities, approximately 120,000 vehicles passed that day.
The holidays were unusually long, spanning 8 days from October 1 to October 8, due to the overlap of two major occasions. During this period, China saw a remarkable 888 million travel trips, increasing from 765 million in the same period last year.
People online reacted to the long traffic snarl, one user commented, “I thought they have those levitating trains?”
Another user commented, “Gotta always be ready with food, water, blankers, and a portable toilet lol.” “I always keep an empty tin can in my car just in case !!!!!!!!” “Chaos looks beautiful when you are not in it”
One user said, “Average day in Gurgaon,” drawing similiarity btween the oddity of China’s rare occurance with daily traffic congestion in India.
