In bustling cities like Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru, traffic congestion is a daily challenge, with commuters often losing 20-25 minutes just to reach the office. In places like Bengaluru, the situation is even more severe, where people spend significant portions of their lives stuck in traffic. Catching a train or flight often means leaving home much earlier than necessary, just to avoid the unpredictability of traffic jams.
The Agony of Being Stuck
A brief traffic jam is enough to test anyone’s patience, but imagine being stuck in one for an entire day. Even an hour-long jam can drive you to frustration. However, there’s a record that no one would want to be a part of – the world’s longest traffic jam.
The 12-Day Traffic Nightmare
The longest traffic jam in history occurred in Beijing, China, on August 14, 2010, on the Beijing-Tibet Expressway. This jam, which lasted an astonishing 12 days, stretched for 100 kilometers. Vehicles were completely immobilized, and life came to a standstill for the thousands of commuters caught in the gridlock.
Causes Behind the Mega Jam
The jam was triggered by a large number of trucks carrying coal and construction materials from Mongolia to Beijing for the construction of the Beijing-Tibet Expressway. Due to the ongoing work, traffic was diverted to a one-way route, which contributed to the massive bottleneck. With vehicles unable to move, the situation grew worse day by day.
Life on the Road for 12 Days
For those stuck in the jam, the ordeal was unimaginable. Many were forced to sleep and eat in their vehicles as they waited for the traffic to clear. The stranded vehicles could only move about 1 kilometer per day, leading to a situation where the gridlock seemed unbreakable. Temporary shelters were set up along the expressway for drivers and passengers, and food and water prices surged, with bottled water selling for ten times the usual cost.
Efforts to Clear the Jam
To resolve the crisis, the authorities halted all incoming traffic and prioritized the trucks trapped in the jam. The administration worked around the clock to clear the congestion, but the sheer scale of the problem meant it took 12 days for the route to be cleared.
End of the Longest Jam
The nightmare finally ended on August 26, 2010, when the world’s longest traffic jam was cleared, bringing relief to thousands of drivers and passengers who had endured the 12-day ordeal.
