Toll-free traffic to be no picnic over holidays

(Xinhua)

10:40, September 17, 2012

China's new policy that exempts passenger cars from road tolls during holidays isexpected to spur unprecedented road traffic during the country's upcoming GoldenWeek holiday.

The public, including the country's 236 million licensed drivers, will be exempt fromabout 10 billion yuan (US$1.58 billion) in highway tolls during China's longest-evereight-day Golden Week holiday, running from September 30 to October 7.

The policy will greatly benefit people planning to drive themselves to their holidaydestinations, but it will also generate massive traffic pressure, said Chen Xiongzhang, acommunications researcher with Guangxi Normal University.

In early August, the State Council, China's Cabinet, approved a plan to lift road tolls forpassenger cars taking highways during major Chinese holidays.

Passenger cars with seven seats or less and motorcycles will get a free pass on tollroads, bridges and tunnels during the Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, Labor Dayand National Day, said the notice issued by the State Council on August 2.

People have long complained that toll gates cause highway traffic jams during nationalholidays. Tolls take up 30-40 percent of expenses incurred by those driving themselvesto destinations throughout China.

An online survey conducted by Sina and Tencent, two major Chinese web portals,revealed that nearly 80 percent of respondents have planned to drive to their holidaydestinations.

Some Internet users have posted a "money-saving travel map," showing exactly howmuch toll money will be saved when the policy is in effect.

Meanwhile, the policy has also encouraged more people to rent cars for their holidayjourneys, according to some major car rental companies.

In previous years, the holiday travel rush would peak in the first two and last two daysof the Golden Week, but the new policy is expected to see the rush extend throughoutthe entire holiday.

Nearly all trunk roads to provincial and regional capitals and popular touristdestinations will be congested, Chen predicted.

China has not set up a complete transportation information collection systemencompassing the highway, railway, aviation and shipping sectors. The lack of thissystem makes it difficult for government authorities to evaluate and guide trafficpressures. The upcoming holiday will offer the country a chance to form an advancedtraffic management system, he said.

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（Editor：叶欣、姚春）