What a picnic spot: Chinese travellers make themselves comfortable – in middle of a highway’s emergency lane

Chinese traffic police on patrol spotted a group of five adults and a child sitting enjoying the mountain scenery while having a picnic – right in the middle of the emergency lane of a highway, mainland media reports.

The group, who had been travelling in a van that was parked illegally on the emergency lane, were seated on chairs around a picnic table on Lasi Highway in the mountainous mainland province of Sichuan, the WCC Daily newspaper reported on Thursday.

Photographs taken by police showed the group having a picnic after stopping and parking their vehicle near Shimian county. Litter including discarded tissues had been thrown on the floor next to them.

Lasi Highway, which runs for 240 km from the Sichuan city of Yaan to Mianning county, which is a popular tourist destination for holidaymakers.

According to the report, more than 34,000 vehicles have passed along the highway everyday since Tuesday, the second day of the new Lunar New Year.

Traffic police had found that a number of motorists liked to park their vehicles on the highway’s emergency lane so they could have a rest, and often left behind litter that was difficult to clear up, the report said.