A general view of heavy traffic on a highway during the morning rush hours in Shanghai, March 26, 2012. (Photo : REUTERS)
Beijing and Shanghai, which are both regarded as two of the most populous cities in China, have been listed among the most congested cities in the country, according to the latest TomTom Traffic Index.
Taipei, which was listed as the 11th most congested city in the world, is the most congested city in China. The other cities in the country that made it into the top 30 of this list are Chongqing (12th), Tianjin (14th), Beijing (15th), Guangzhou (17th), Chengdu (19th), Shanghai (24th), Shijiazhuang (25th), Fuzhou (28th), Shenyang (29th) and Hangzhou (30th).
A survey published by Shanghai Daily last year rated Shanghai to have the worst rush-hour traffic jams in China. Besides Shanghai, Hangzhou, Beijing, Chongqing and Shenzhen were also listed among the most congested cities in the country.
In a bid to ease the traffic situation, earlier in the year the Shanghai Transport Commission announced that cars with non-local number plates will be banned from the road during the morning and evening rush-hour periods. Reports indicate that the ban is set to be extended from April 15th.
This month the Shanghai Urban-Rural Construction and Transportation Development Research Institute will introduce its traffic congestion monitoring system. Authorities are expected to use the system to study the city's congestion problems and alert the public when necessary to avoid certain routes.
Experts say that with major constructions works underway in many parts of Shanghai, the city will experience much worse traffic this year than it did in 2014. Local sources say that besides the morning and evening rush-hour periods, an afternoon gridlock is becoming a cause for concern.
Shanghai traffic authorities have sought to reduce the number of cars on the road by limiting the number of license plates issued each year. In 2014, about 194,000 new Shanghai license plates were issued. But critics say that about just the same number of cars with non-local license plates were introduced into the country in the same year.
