Photo: A huge line of cars backed up on a highway leading out of Guangzhou on Sep 30, 2012
Source: Xinhua News Agency

Apr 24, 2013
Translated by Chi Yi

During the coming three-day May Day holiday, passenger cars will once again be permitted to travel along China's vast network of highways for free. The toll-free period will last from midnight on Apr 28 through to midnight on May 1.

Yesterday, a representative from the Beijing Capital Highway Development Group Co., Ltd. (首发集团) told the media that passenger cars will use separate lanes at toll stations to other vehicles that are still required to pay the tolls, according to a report in today's Beijing News.

Over the holiday period, passenger cars will not be required to stop and collect a card at toll gates.

Travelers in Beijing often use the May holidays as a chance to escape the city, and according to past  experience, the Beijing-Tibet highway, Beijing-Chengde highway and Beijing-Hong Kong and Macau highway are expected to be packed with holiday travellers.

The State Council issued the toll-free highways on holidays policy in August 2012.

The policy states that passenger cars shall be able to use toll roads for free on the four major public holidays in China: Spring Festival, Qing Ming Festival, Labor Day and the National Day Holidays in October.

The policy's stated aims are to make travel cheaper and more convenient. The government also hopes that by lifting the highway tolls it can boost service industry revenues, as people are likely to spend more money on related services, such as food and accommodation, when they travel.

However, during last years 8-day "Golden Week" in October, when the policy was first implemented for the first time, massive traffic jams occurred, igniting criticism of the policy. On the first day of that holiday, more than 85 million travelers took to the roads, 13.3 percent more than on the first day of the National Day Holidays in 2011, according to the Ministry of Transport. The Ministry also said that there were 38.2 percent more vehicle journeys on toll roads during last year's golden week than there were in the same period last year.

However, the new policy was smoothly implemented over the Spring Festival break in February 2013 and during Qing Ming Jie (Tomb Sweeping Festival) in April. The decision not to require drivers to pick up an electronic card at toll stations appears to have helped contribute to a smoother implementation of the policy.

According to Xinhua News Agency, the tolls on China's expressways are among the highest in the world. On average, the toll works out at 1 yuan (16 US cents) for every two kilometers traveled.

Links and Sources
The Beijing News: 小客车“五一”走高速免费不发卡