World’s ‘longest ever’ traffic jam spanning 12 days and more than 62 miles
Locals living nearby saw it as an opportunity to "make money" charging prices up to 15 times the normal amount for food and water.
Being stuck in gridlocked traffic is pretty rage inducing - even for an hour or two.
So now imagine being totally gridlocked in a queue of traffic 62 miles long...for 12 days.
That was the plight of drivers in China back in 2010 which has been remembered by a new TikTok clip.
Thousands of people were trapped in their cars in the mind boggling traffic jam for almost two weeks due to heavy traffic, road works and breakdowns near capital Beijing on China National Highway 110.
A narrator on the social media clip - shared from the account @simplehistory - explained more about the incident where a makeshift economy emerged.
He said: “The longest traffic jam in history lasted 12 days in August 2010 on China’s National Highway 110 spanning over 100 kilometres (62 miles).
“Thousands of people were trapped in their vehicles moving at a speed of 1 kilometre (0.62 miles) per day.
“Locals living nearby saw a chance to make lots of money by selling instant noodles, water and cigarettes to drivers.
“However they often charged prices up to 15 times higher than usual. Some drivers were even robbed during the night and their gasoline syphoned off.”
This unprecedented gridlock occurred between Hebei and Inner Mongolia.
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The stranded drivers were forced to endure days of hunger and thirst and had to turn their vehicles into temporary homes. However, there were jokers in the comments section of the video.
One said: “Imagine you’re on a ride with Uber…”
Another said: “Imagine telling ur boss that u are late for 12 days bcu traffic.”
“What if you had to go to the bathroom, or had a bad case of diarrhoea,” said another.
Last year Swindon was revealed as the worst traffic hotspot in the country - with drivers spending 11 days a year sitting in their vehicles.
Research from Comparethemarket.com using data from Numbeo showed 86 percent of residents commute by car in the Wiltshire town which is arguably best known for its "magic roundabout", a baffling series of eight mini-roundabouts arranged in a circle.
The city also had the fourth highest traffic index of 55 cities featured in the study which provided insights into a city's overall traffic conditions, including commute times, traffic misery, CO2 emissions and overall inefficiencies in a traffic system.
