Nation's highways a nightmare for drivers over 'Golden Week"

The arrival of the eight-day-long National Day holiday last Sunday was greeted by The Beijing News with an editorial urging people to take it easy and not stress out on the roads if they wanted to have a happy holiday.

"We are living in a fickle age," it said. "Every day we work so hard for a so-called 'successful' life and no longer care about our families … we've been walking too fast, it's about time we stopped and waited for our soul."

However, the millions who swarmed onto roads heading to tourist attractions during the "golden week" holiday did not find the relaxation they hoped for. Indeed, the scenic spots they flocked to were more crowded than usual in many cities.

Some did try to relax in the ensuing traffic jams - stretching and smoking as if they were at home - but photos widely circulated by the mainland media also showed many having to face the embarrassment of using emergency lanes as toilets.

That gave readers at home some idea about the misery faced by drivers during the holiday, with record traffic congestion even making Beijing's famously jammed ring roads look deserted by comparison.

China Central Television commentator Liu Ge wrote an article for the Chinese-language edition of the Global Times before the jams and the holiday started, warning that traffic congestion was likely to be severe as highway tolls were being temporarily suspended.