this post was submitted on 20 Feb 2024
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MeπŸš—irl (lemmy.world)
submitted 4 months ago by The_Picard_Maneuver to c/me_irl
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[–] Rolando 107 points 4 months ago (4 children)

Snopes says this is real but "miscaptioned":

https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/china-50-lane-highway-traffic-jam/

This is a genuine photograph of a traffic jam in China. However, the caption frequently attached to this image is a bit misleading.

This photograph was taken in October 2015 at the end of Golden Week, a week-long national holiday in China, and it captures heavy congestion at a toll gate on the G4 Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau Expressway

...

While this highway may expand to about 50 lanes at this toll booth β€” we counted the number of approximate car widths on a higher resolution version of this image and found that the "50-lane wide" expression was generally accurate for this portion of the road β€” the G4 expressway is not a "50-lane highway."

[–] fidodo 25 points 4 months ago (1 children)

That answers some questions then opens up new ones. How does 50 toll booths make sense for a 4 lane highway? Contactless tolls existed back then and of all the countries, surely China of all places would be able to implement it cheaper and easily get drivers to install the contactless device needed as well as set up the license plate surveillance to enforce it.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil 24 points 4 months ago (1 children)

How does 50 toll booths make sense for a 4 lane highway?

Because passing through a toll booth slows down each vehicle, you can move more vehicles through the space with additional terminals. Unfortunately, when you've got peak traffic, the folks on the other side of the terminal can still create congestion as they merge back into the smaller lane.

The solution to this, from the Chinese perspective, is massive investment in High Speed Rail.

If you don't want to sit in traffic at a major tool entrance like this, you can just ride any of the 200 mph+ train routes crisscrossing the nation.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago (1 children)

You forgot to read the rest of their comment

[–] UnderpantsWeevil 4 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Even contactless tolls require drivers to slow down and pass through a gated entrance. You're not going through a terminal at 100 kmph. Wide toll gates like this exist from Houston to Hamburg.

You have to deal with the inevitable folks who don't have the right kind of RFID tag, don't know how to properly navigate the gate, or simply fuck up as drivers passing into a congested part of the freeway.

[–] Moneo 5 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Thank youuu. Fuck cars and fuck misinformation.

[–] Coreidan 0 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Yes saying β€œfuck cars” will solve all the problems!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Pretty much yeah

[–] Coreidan 0 points 4 months ago

Oh well I guess we are good then. All problems are solved now

[–] samus12345 4 points 4 months ago

TIL China has their own Golden Week in October, as opposed to Japan's in April.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago

I was going to say, that just looks like a toll booth

[–] jqubed 69 points 4 months ago (4 children)

I mean that’s clearly just a toll plaza, right? Not actually a 50-lane highway, that then drops down to 4. Also that’s not 50, looks closer to 25-30 toll lanes.

[–] hogunner 21 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

It’s a bit hard to tell accurately from this picture but I counted the lanes of cars near the bottom somewhere in the 48-50 range though there are only 25 or so actually toll booths so who knows.

[–] dustyData 19 points 4 months ago

Regardless, I'm still relieved I'm not there.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 4 months ago

Reminds me of this one from Mexico City (autopista del Sol)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago (3 children)

Yeah. They could make some improvements so the merge back is better, but it's 4 to 30(?) to 4. Not as horrible as it looks.

[–] Fluffy_Ruffs 6 points 4 months ago

Maybe not but it still looks like a miserable traffic jam to be in

[–] LifeInMultipleChoice 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

In the U.S. we put a sticker on the windshield that gets scanned when the car passes through. While you are supposed to slow down a bit they work just fine at 100km/hour. They could leave the road at 4 lanes and get rid of all of the booths. Minimal traffic back up.

We purchase the stickers at your local grocery store.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago

They work just fine at 140km/h too. There are parts of Texas where toll roads are 85mph.

[–] jqubed 2 points 4 months ago

Looking at the pavement, I wonder if it wasn’t as abrupt in the past but then they added that second building and screwed it up?

[–] De_Narm 65 points 4 months ago

Surely, another lane will fix the issue! Of course not a 5th lane, that's probably not possible, but a 51st.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 4 months ago

They saw the Holland and Lincoln tunnel toll plaza and thought it was an inspiration not a warning.

[–] Nacktmull 23 points 4 months ago

One more lane would fix it!

[–] [email protected] 23 points 4 months ago

I imagine navigating this is like trying to solve a prisoners dilemma problem, but on the scale of a small town instead of two people.

[–] [email protected] 22 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Are you sure this isn't the Disney World entrance?

[–] UnderpantsWeevil 10 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Its a customs booth at an international border.

Laredo, TX looks the same.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I thought everything was bigger in Texas? This customs booth is absolutely puny by comparison. How embarrassing.

[–] afraid_of_zombies 20 points 4 months ago

Frogger final boss.

[–] cosmicrookie 19 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I'd like to see a selfdriving car get through this

[–] PastyWaterSnake 5 points 4 months ago

Self-driving car:

"Oh, I need to wait for this other car to pass me before I merge lanes. I'll just wait :)"

"Oh, I need to wait for this other car to pass me before I merge lanes. I'll just wait :)"

"Oh no! I'm right between two lanes and I can't move because the other cars are in the way :')"

"I'll just wait here with my hazard lights on until traffic clears up :)"

[–] waigl 12 points 4 months ago

Are you sure a 50 lane highway is what we're seeing here? To me, this looks more like toll booth or a customs house.

[–] EdibleFriend 12 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I think I heard once that its basically never like this though? only major holidays or some shit?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago (2 children)

I'd still rather live in the woods and create a radical anti-government militia

[–] EdibleFriend 3 points 4 months ago

I mean, you have a point there.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil 2 points 4 months ago

Real Maoist Hours

[–] [email protected] 9 points 4 months ago

This reminds me of entrance queues at Comic Cons in Kyiv (and I would imagine, in other cities as well)