NIGHTMARE

Insane Traffic Jam in China Hits Day 9

Now more than 100 kilometres long.

Talk about a traffic nightmare. Thousands of cars en route to Beijing have been lined up for nine days spanning 100 kilometers long, without signs of clearing up, Xinhua News reported Monday. The initial backup was reportedly due to "insufficient traffic capacity … caused by maintenance construction," according to a spokesman for the Beijing Traffic Management Bureau, and could now last for weeks. Roadside vendors are capitalizing on the situation by increasing their prices during the jam. One truck driver reportedly caved and bought instant noodles for four times the original price.Editor's note: The traffic jam described in this news summary occured in August 2010.