This year’s Qingming mini-holiday falls from April 4 to April 6. According to a document from the State Council, among the four major holidays in a year—Spring Festival, Qingming Festival, Labor Day, and National Day—small passenger vehicles with seven seats or fewer (inclusive), as well as motorcycles permitted on regular toll roads, can travel for free on roads that would normally be tolled. Reporters learned from the transportation department of our province that the specific Qingming traffic plan is still being formulated, but compared to previous long holidays such as the Mid-Autumn and National Day holidays and the Spring Festival holiday, this will be the first free mini-holiday in our province. With only three days, there is expected to be a relatively high volume of short-distance travelers, so the direction of traffic congestion may also differ from previous years.
First-time free passage during a mini-holiday
In just over half a month, we’ll welcome another Qingming mini-holiday. With spring in full bloom and the world awakening in the April air, it’s a great time for travel. Since September last year, the four major holidays of the year have offered free highway travel for small vehicles with seven seats or fewer (inclusive), and the Qingming mini-holiday has also been included in the free range. According to the transportation department, the Qingming holiday free passage period will last three days, from 00:00 on April 4 to 24:00 on April 6. Yesterday, reporters learned from the provincial Department of Transportation that the time frame has been essentially confirmed, but the specific implementation plan is still under development. Staff from the transportation department said that, with only three days, this Qingming mini-holiday can be considered the first free one in our province.
Traffic patterns different from Spring Festival and National Day
“During the Qingming period, vehicle flow will mainly consist of short-distance trips, and most of them will be for spring outings and tourism. Therefore, some sections of the expressways within the province, especially those near tourist attractions, may experience peak traffic,” said relevant staff from the provincial transportation department. The provincial transportation department stated that the implementation plan for free passage during the Qingming mini-holiday will be largely similar to previous ones, including setting up signs for free small vehicle access and installing height barriers for small vehicles. These proven practices will continue to be used during this year’s Qingming mini-holiday.
“Based on past experiences during Qingming mini-holidays, certain sections of the expressways within the province see more concentrated passenger flows. Unlike the Spring Festival holiday, major gateways such as the Jiujiang Yangtze River Bridge (the northern gateway) and the Gan-Ding Expressway (the southern gateway) won’t see extremely high traffic volumes. However, the Jing-Wu-Huang Expressway leading to Wuyuan for rapeseed flower viewing, and the Chang-Jiu Expressway’s Nanchang to Xin-Qi-Zhou section, which sees a lot of tomb-sweeping activity, may become sections with heavier traffic during the holiday,” said relevant staff from the provincial transportation department.
Alternative routes available in case of congestion on some expressways
Reporters learned that alternative routes are available in case of congestion at peak points on some expressways. For example: for trips to and from the Jiujiang direction, drivers can exit via the Wangcheng Toll Station, Wanli Toll Station, Meilin Toll Station on the Western Outer Ring Expressway, or the Xin-Qi-Zhou Toll Station on the Chang-Jiu Expressway.
For trips to and from Shanghai, Hangzhou, or Huangshan, drivers can exit via the Youlan Toll Station, Jiangxiang Toll Station, or WenZhen East Toll Station on the Eastern Outer Ring Expressway, or via the Nanchang South Toll Station, Huangma Toll Station, or Wenjiazhen Toll Station on the Shanghai-Kunming Expressway.
For trips to and from Guangzhou or Changsha, drivers can exit via the Wangcheng Toll Station or Wanli Toll Station on the Western Outer Ring Expressway, or via the Nanchang South Toll Station on the Shanghai-Kunming Expressway.