Initially, I thought I had found an article on air pollution and overcrowding in China; however, as I read through the article I found something more interesting. Road repairs and the mass amount of people living in Beijing contributes to a serious traffic jam on two highways; as a result, it takes five days to travel 350 miles from Inner Mongolia to Tianjin. While motorist sit in frustration, others have managed to capitalize on the opportunity:
The tie-up has created an economy of its own. Vendors sell boxed lunches, ramen noodles and drinking water to the captive audience, often at jacked-up prices. Roving gangs reportedly have preyed on fatigued motorists, siphoning gasoline as they snooze.
And because of the long-standing problems along the highways, dozens of small hotels have cropped up, catering to drivers who seek a respite to catch more serious sleep.
"Business is good," said Li Chenli, a 40-year-old receptionist at a hotel in Xinghe, a stop along the route. "But we don't like the traffic jam. It's hard for relatives to come to visit. Life is inconvenient. Wherever you go, you're just waiting and waiting."
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