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NYT article has a point. I would just like to point out that Beijing also has traffic jams unparalleled in the world Traffic jam backs up 10km outside Beijing

NYT article has a point. I would just like to point out that Beijing also has traffic jams unparalleled in the world Traffic jam backs up 10km outside Beijing (http://bitly.com/1FSIJPB http://bitly.com/1FSIJPB) As well as pollution that have increased risks of cancer and premature death in Beijing (http://bit.ly/1GMIL7H http://bit.ly/1GMIL7H) It sounds like you're from NY; I wouldn't discount NY so quickly, without having visited Beijing to see for yourself. I've been to Beijing; I would never live in that place.

seanmcdirmid 11y ago
I live in Beijing. That traffic jam was outside and affected primarily truckers who didn't want to pay a toll to take e expressway. Ya, still messed up, but not as incredibly so. The pollution is bad, especially in the winter. We are in summer now and it is merely not good rather than really bad. Today it even rained so it's a bit fresh out. There are plenty of cities that are much worse: Cairo, Tehran, New Delhi, ... I feel bad for those who have to work outside (crossing guards have it bad), but life expectancies in Beijing are quite correlated with lifestyle and income, just like anywhere else. If their is a dent in life expectancies, we won't see it for another 20 or so years.
- sharetea 11y ago
  That traffic jam was just an extreme example, of course. But in my recent 3 taxi rides in Beijing, it's always been at least an hour stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. It's just a very old city not suited for the amount of cars and people currently or in the future.
  - seanmcdirmid 11y ago
    Oh I agree. Especially right now with all the waidi-ren summer vacation traffic. You basically have two New York cities dealing with the road network of maybe...Portland, there are capacity problems! I deal by going to work before 6 and coming home before 3, or coming in at 10 and going home at 8. It still beats taking the subway.
megablast 11y ago
I was in Germany, when there was a traffic jam blocking the way from just outside Munich most of the way to Hamburg. A 5 hour trip took over 10 hours, and that is because we moved onto the back streets.
GFK_of_xmaspast 11y ago
I've been in 10km of stop-and-go traffic plenty of times in the US.

seanmcdirmid 11y ago

I live in Beijing. That traffic jam was outside and affected primarily truckers who didn't want to pay a toll to take e expressway. Ya, still messed up, but not as incredibly so. The pollution is bad, especially in the winter. We are in summer now and it is merely not good rather than really bad. Today it even rained so it's a bit fresh out. There are plenty of cities that are much worse: Cairo, Tehran, New Delhi, ... I feel bad for those who have to work outside (crossing guards have it bad), but life expectancies in Beijing are quite correlated with lifestyle and income, just like anywhere else. If their is a dent in life expectancies, we won't see it for another 20 or so years.

sharetea 11y ago
That traffic jam was just an extreme example, of course. But in my recent 3 taxi rides in Beijing, it's always been at least an hour stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. It's just a very old city not suited for the amount of cars and people currently or in the future.
- seanmcdirmid 11y ago
  Oh I agree. Especially right now with all the waidi-ren summer vacation traffic. You basically have two New York cities dealing with the road network of maybe...Portland, there are capacity problems! I deal by going to work before 6 and coming home before 3, or coming in at 10 and going home at 8. It still beats taking the subway.

megablast 11y ago

I was in Germany, when there was a traffic jam blocking the way from just outside Munich most of the way to Hamburg. A 5 hour trip took over 10 hours, and that is because we moved onto the back streets.

GFK_of_xmaspast 11y ago

I've been in 10km of stop-and-go traffic plenty of times in the US.