China News ServiceJanuary 30 (Xinhua) — According to the official Weibo of the Road Network Monitoring and Emergency Response Center of the Ministry of Transport, in order to effectively ensure national highway traffic services during the Spring Festival, the Road Network Monitoring and Emergency Response Center of the Ministry of Transport, together with the Road Traffic Safety Research Center of the Ministry of Public Security, the Public Meteorological Service Center of the China Meteorological Administration, the Planning Research Institute of the Ministry of Transport, Qianfang Technology, Amap, and Baidu Maps, organized a joint analysis and consultation on road network operations during the Spring Festival holiday. The relevant situation is reported as follows:

I. Overall characteristics of highway network operations

The 2024 Spring Festival holiday runs from February 10 (the first day of the first lunar month) to February 17 (the eighth day of the first lunar month), a total of 8 days. The toll-free period for small passenger cars with 7 seats or fewer (including 7 seats) is from 0:00 on February 9 to 24:00 on February 17, a total of 9 days. It is expected that during the Spring Festival, the national weather conditions will generally be favorable for travel, and some areas may experience periodic low-temperature rain and snow weather processes. Taking into comprehensive account the highway travel patterns, holiday duration, weather conditions, toll-free passage for small passenger cars and other factors, it is expected that the national road network operations during the 2024 Spring Festival will show the following characteristics:

(1) Average Spring Festival traffic volume exceeds the same period in history

It is expected that during the Spring Festival (including New Year's Eve), the national average daily expressway traffic volume will be about 50.3 million vehicles, an increase of about 11.6% over the same period of the 2023 Spring Festival. The peak of the entire Spring Festival traffic volume will appear on the last day of the Spring Festival holiday (the eighth day of the first lunar month), expected to reach about 65.2 million vehicles, setting a new high for Spring Festival traffic volume over the years.

Forecast of national expressway traffic volume during the 2024 Spring Festival

(2) High proportion of self-driving passenger cars, freight vehicles operating at a low level

It is expected that during the Spring Festival, the national average daily expressway passenger car traffic volume will be about 48.9 million vehicles, and small passenger cars are expected to account for more than 99% of passenger cars. Freight vehicle traffic will decline day by day before the Spring Festival, reach its lowest value on the first day of the first lunar month, and gradually recover to the normal level after the Spring Festival holiday, but freight vehicle traffic is expected to increase compared with last year.

Forecast of national expressway passenger and freight traffic during the 2024 Spring Festival

(3) Traffic low first and high later, with concentrated return trips

During the Spring Festival holiday, highway network traffic will show the characteristic of "low first and high later." Road network traffic will reach the holiday trough on New Year's Eve and the first day of the first lunar month; starting from the second day of the first lunar month, road network traffic will gradually recover; and on the eighth day of the first lunar month, return trips will be concentrated, producing the highest peak during the Spring Festival. During the Spring Festival, the tidal characteristics of outbound trips and later return trips are obvious, and 9:00-12:00 and 14:00-19:00 are periods prone to congestion.

Forecast of national expressway congestion during the 2024 Spring Festival

(4) Traffic on ordinary national and provincial roads stable, with no obvious peak

It is expected that during the Spring Festival (including New Year's Eve), the average daily cross-section traffic volume of ordinary highways will be about 7,800 vehicles, an increase of about 8.2% compared with 2023, as shown in Figure 4. Compared with expressways, ordinary highways will have relatively stable traffic during the Spring Festival, with no significant peak; traffic will drop significantly before the holiday, reach its lowest value on New Year's Eve, and recover somewhat after the third day of the first lunar month.

Forecast of national ordinary highway cross-section traffic volume during the 2024 Spring Festival

II. Analysis of congestion points

(1) Sections prone to congestion and slow traffic

During the Spring Festival, expressway sections nationwide that are expected to be prone to congestion and slow traffic are shown in the table below.

Table: Sections prone to congestion and slow traffic during the Spring Festival

(2) Toll stations prone to congestion and slow traffic

During the Spring Festival, expressway toll stations nationwide that are expected to be prone to congestion and slow traffic are shown in the table below.

Table: Toll stations prone to congestion and slow traffic during the Spring Festival

(3) Busier service areas

During the Spring Festival, expressway service areas nationwide that are expected to be busier are shown in the table below.

Table: Busier service areas during the Spring Festival (All charts and tables in the full text are from the official Weibo of the Road Network Monitoring and Emergency Response Center of the Ministry of Transport)

　III. Public travel tips

First, keep in mind the toll-free period and maximize the benefits of preferential policies. The toll-free time for toll roads is based on the time when the vehicle leaves the toll lane at the expressway exit. For vehicles still driving on the expressway before the toll-free period is about to end, it is recommended to choose the nearest toll station to exit the expressway according to the actual location and time, so as to avoid safety accidents caused by rushing and speeding, and at the same time maximize the enjoyment of the toll-free policy.

Second, pay attention to road condition information and plan trips reasonably. Before traveling during the holiday, obtain information on road conditions, the real-time status of charging infrastructure along highways, traffic management and other information through multiple channels such as the official WeChat and Weibo of public security traffic management departments, the "China Road Network" WeChat and Weibo, the "e Road Smooth" WeChat mini program, traffic radio, and navigation maps, so as to plan travel routes in advance and try to bypass sections (toll stations) with heavy traffic and prone to congestion and slow traffic, as well as closed sections affected by severe weather and construction operation sections.

Third, pay attention to weather conditions and drive safely. Before traveling, please keep abreast of weather conditions in a timely manner. In case of severe weather, please slow down, increase following distance, reduce lane changes and overtaking, and prevent traffic accidents. In emergency situations, deceleration measures should be taken in advance to avoid sudden braking and sharp steering, and prevent vehicles from skidding or rolling over. In the event of a vehicle breakdown or traffic accident, ensure that "the vehicle is pulled to the side, people are evacuated, and the police are called immediately."

Fourth, choose lanes reasonably and pass through toll stations in an orderly manner. Entrances and exits of toll stations are all equipped with "toll-free dedicated channel" guide signs; correct lanes should be selected to avoid disorderly weaving that causes congestion at toll stations. Small passenger cars with 7 seats or fewer (including 7 seats) without ETC equipment should choose the toll-free dedicated lane; vehicles equipped with ETC should choose the ETC lane; freight vehicles and passenger cars with more than 7 seats without ETC should choose the mixed lane. When passing through ETC lanes, keep a safe distance and slow down to avoid rear-end collisions, barrier collisions and other situations.