So You Think Our Traffic Is Bad...?

Just when we think about how crazy things are getting for us, a story like this points out that other countries are having a rough time as well!

This story in Reuters points out that crazy is the same all over the world! Now, this goes a lot further than anything I've experienced as of late, but as much as I hate to stand in line, I can certainly feel sorry for those involved!

Chinese drivers sit it out in 9-day traffic jam

Credit: Reuters/Jason Lee

BEIJING | Mon Aug 23, 2010 1:31pm BST

BEIJING (Reuters) - The end may now be in sight for frustrated drivers who have endured a nine-day, 100 km- (60 miles) long traffic jam on a highway leading into Beijing, state media said Monday.

The snarl-up has been caused by roadworks, which are not expected to finish for another month, state news agency Xinhua said on its website.

Drivers, mainly of freight-carrying trucks, have had to kill time playing cards, and have complained that local people are taking advantage of them by selling food at inflated prices, the report said.

The traffic stretched back all the way into the nearby provinces of Hebei and Inner Mongolia, it added.

But state television said the situation had now "basically returned to normal."

While China is spending billions of dollars on infrastructure such as roads and railways, it is still struggling to keep up with the demands of the booming economy, and traffic jams are common.

(Reporting by Maxim Duncan; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)

I guess that just because a country controls the majority of the money in the world right now doesn't mean that they have figured out their traffic problems any better than we have. Sort of seems to bring us all a little closer together, doesn't it? Then again...maybe not!

Let's get some fresh coffee and sit in the kitchen for a bit. Not much traffic outside today in my neighborhood!