Yesterday was the last day of the Spring Festival holiday. As some citizens returning from vacations and family visits flocked back to the city, the volume of vehicles on the city’s highways increased significantly. The total daily traffic volume exceeded 600,000 trips, setting a record for the Spring Festival holiday. Some sections that are usually busy during regular days began to show signs of congestion. It is expected that over the next week, up to the eve of the Lantern Festival, urban traffic will remain relatively light.
Minor peak hits highways after 2 PM
Yesterday, with the rain stopping and winds calming down, and temperatures rising, commuters began their journeys back to Shanghai. After 2 PM, the increase in traffic flow became more noticeable, and the overall volume on the highway network gradually trended upward. According to statistics from the Road Network Monitoring Center of the Municipal Roads and Bridges Administration, from 0:00 to 16:00 yesterday, the total traffic volume on the city’s highway network was 379,200 trips, an increase of 15.22% compared to the same period the previous day. The total volume at highway and ground provincial border crossings was 270,600 trips, including 152,700 trips entering Shanghai and 117,900 trips exiting Shanghai.
As vehicle volume on the highways increased, sections of highways such as G2 Beijing–Shanghai, G50 Shanghai–Chongqing, G60 Shanghai–Kunming, and G15 Shenyang–Haikou heading toward Shanghai remained relatively busy. Related inbound sections, such as the Outer Ring Road to Middle Ring Road section of G2 Beijing–Shanghai heading in the direction of Shanghai and the Hongqiao Hub section of G50 Shanghai–Chongqing, also became more congested.
After 24:00 yesterday, the city’s highways resumed the card issuance and collection management system, but a one-hour transition period was set from 0:00 to 1:00 today. For vehicles that entered the city’s highway network before 24:00 yesterday, no cards were issued and no tolls were charged. For those entering after 24:00, as long as they exited the highway before 1:00 today, only the toll card was collected without a toll charge. However, for vehicles that entered the highway after 24:00 yesterday and exited after 1:00 today, tolls were charged as usual.
Traffic volume on urban expressways continued to rise yesterday, and some commonly congested sections—such as the Yan’an Elevated Road from the Hongqiao Hub toward the city center and the HuMin Elevated Road from the Middle Ring Road to the Inner Ring Road—also experienced congestion during the daytime.
With a large number of returning vehicles hitting the highways, some highways leading into Shanghai saw heavy traffic yesterday. Among them, the Xicheng Expressway turning onto the Shanghai–Nanjing Expressway in the direction of Shanghai was described by netizens as “endlessly congested.” By 19:00 yesterday, the Shanghai-bound section of the Shanghai–Nanjing Expressway in Wuxi saw heavy traffic and slow movement, with speeds below 40 km/h. The Xicheng Expressway, heading southbound from the north, turning into the Shanghai–Nanjing Expressway, also continued to experience high traffic volume.
Information from the Ministry of Transport showed that starting from February 14 (the fifth day of the Lunar New Year), national highways, national and provincial trunk roads, and toll stations at major city entrances and exits across the country welcomed a minor post-holiday return peak. Major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Hangzhou, and Nanjing saw significant increases in inbound traffic, along with short-term congestion.
Traffic volume lower than last year’s National Day
During the free passage period of the Spring Festival, traffic volume on Shanghai’s highways could be described as starting low and then rising. On February 9 (New Year’s Eve), the first day of free passage, there was neither the “zero-point gathering” phenomenon seen during last year’s National Day Golden Week, where many vehicles waited at toll gates for the free period to begin, nor did the first day of free passage see a “traffic surge.” Instead, it was the day with the lowest traffic volume. After that, traffic volume gradually climbed but roads remained largely clear.
Statistics show that from February 9 to February 15, the total daily traffic volume on Shanghai’s highway network was 364,500 trips, 382,300 trips, 483,900 trips, 511,200 trips, 575,800 trips, 528,200 trips, and 614,800 trips, averaging 494,400 trips per day. This not only represented a significant drop compared to the 660,000 trips per day during last year’s National Day period but was also lower than the usual weekday traffic volume. Meanwhile, during the Spring Festival free passage period, the total traffic volume of small passenger vehicles with seven seats or fewer reached 3.24 million trips, accounting for about 94% of the total volume, significantly higher than the over 80% ratio during last year’s National Day period.
In terms of time distribution, the first half of the Spring Festival holiday saw significantly more vehicles leaving Shanghai than entering. Starting from the 12th (the third day of the Lunar New Year), the proportion of inbound and outbound traffic gradually became more balanced, and afterward, the number of vehicles entering Shanghai exceeded those leaving.
Relevant sources stated that the theme of the Spring Festival is family reunions, so many long-distance self-driving travelers had already begun their journeys home before the start of free passage on New Year’s Eve. During the holiday, visiting relatives and friends mostly took place within the city or nearby areas. Additionally, many regions were affected by ice, snow, rain, and fog weather during the Spring Festival, making it less ideal for travel. Coupled with the fact that this year marked the second implementation of the long-holiday free passage policy during the Spring Festival, it no longer held the novelty for some drivers. Many also planned their routes in advance and consciously avoided peak travel times and congested sections. In contrast, during the National Day Golden Week, most areas enjoyed good weather, making it the best season for travel. Moreover, as it was the first year of free passage last year, some people were eager to try it out, leading to a noticeable increase in highway traffic volume during that period.
The Spring Festival period is the best time of the year for urban traffic in Shanghai. With a large number of vehicles leaving the city in succession, a “traffic dividend” was created during the Spring Festival. Urban elevated roads remained largely green and clear throughout the holiday. Even after the Spring Festival holiday ended, since some industries and enterprises had not yet fully returned to normal operations, the “traffic dividend” of the Spring Festival was extended until the eve of the Lantern Festival.
◎ Spring Festival Travel Rush
Civil aviation enters return peak
Starting yesterday, the civil aviation sector of the Spring Festival travel rush entered its return peak. Airlines expect passenger traffic to peak from the 15th to the 17th of this month. According to inquiries made by reporters yesterday, flights returning to Shanghai from Shenyang, Changchun, Chengdu, Xi'an, and other places on these three days were mostly sold out. Only a small number of first-class seats remained, which were also in tight supply. Airlines stated that during the morning peak departure hours, all domestic check-in counters at the terminals would be open and reminded passengers to arrive at the airport early to avoid missing their flights.