The congestion was caused by a new checkpoint at the other side of the toll, which reduced the width of the road from 50 to less than 20 lanes. [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dep-zo3kzHM"]Fifty lane highway becomes carpark as Beijing residents return home after long weekend - YouTube[/ame]
China: 1.4 Billion people Beijing: 21.5 Million people Fifty lanes, and pollution you cut with a knife. CD
Kids live in Beijing, they leave the city on the Holidays and stay away then return via the Airport. They use a Scooter in the city, they do have a car with a driver, but I think he is bored as hell.
Much more than kids. On holidays, a good portion of the population goes back to their hometown to visit family. I hear stories about it from my Chinese colleagues at work.
The most alarming thing about this video is the pollution. I've experienced it first hand, and it's scary. As you walk down the street your throat burns. On a couple of occasions, I started to get that panicky feeling when you're under water and need to surface to get a breath.
This story said that 20% of China traveled during that week. For some perspective that's like EVERYONE in the US traveling at the same time. Not just commuting to work.