Shenzhen's Grossest Tourist Trap? You Won't Believe This Place!
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Well, let me tell you about driving in Shenzhen:
- In the morning, the traffic typically starts congesting from east to west.
- As for the evening, it's just the opposite - with heavy traffic building up from west to east.
So why is this the case? I reckon it’s due to the following reasons:
- Shenzhen is long and narrow like an unripe cucumber, instead of being square or rectangular like many other cities.
- Moreover, the city has been developing vigorously on its coastal western side where numerous companies and building complexes have been set up.
- Thus, the so-called "central business district" doesn't seem to be at the "center," making people travel across more than half of the city to head to or from work every day.
Hence, it’s worth reminding visiting friends:
- Driving should be approached with extra caution!
- There are not that many streets with a huge amount of vehicles; a minor oversight may lead to a vehicle collision.
- Upon encountering a traffic jam, remain calm and avoid anger or frustration.
- Especially watch out for "black Fridays" days!
- (Here the "black Friday" term is not referring to the U.S. holiday dedicated to shopping but instead indicates particularly congested traffic jams that can be extremely annoying.)
- On such occasions, you might find yourself stuck in the heavy traffic, questioning if your trip was worth it. It’s better to try avoiding the peak hours or take the subway, which will bring you more peace of mind.
#DriveCarefully #TrafficNightmareAwarenessDay
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So, the subway is the most convenient option in Shenzhen (especially during holidays, basically don't even think about driving).
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And speaking of the subway, Line 11 even has business class seats that nobody uses, while it takes three tries to squeeze into a regular carriage.
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Longhua would be the most suitable location for the city center.
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Longhua won't work, Tanglang Mountain is in the way.
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They shouldn't cram everything into Nanshan and Qianhai. When you put that many office buildings together, how can it not be congested?
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Exactly.
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Haven't the driving restrictions (license plate rationing) already eased the congestion?
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Since when?
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Shenzhen's eastern development strategy was perfectly fine, but then someone just had to push for this whole Greater Bay Area thing.
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The 'city center' isn't central enough. First, we need to figure out where the actual city center is. Besides, compared to other first-tier cities, Shenzhen isn't that congested.
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Most other areas are generally okay, but Nanping, Beihuan, Binhai, and Shenhai expressways are significantly worse than elsewhere.
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If you accidentally get onto the Nanping Expressway from Bao'an, the earliest you can exit is in Futian. It's a total trap.
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How did you know my route?
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Huh? Isn't everyone online always complaining about Guangzhou's single-center (Zhujiang New Town) being super congested, while praising Shenzhen's multi-center model as being great? Now I finally see an article complaining that Shenzhen's multi-center setup is also congested. I've always said it – whether it's single-center or multi-center, any big city will have traffic jams.
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It's about balanced development and planning. It can be congested, but it shouldn't come to a complete standstill.
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It has the highest population density in the country. And while it's congested, the traffic is still much better than in Guangzhou, Shanghai, or Beijing.
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Except for Nanping, Beihuan, Binhai, and Shenhai.
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The core reason is that a city like Shenzhen, with its mountainous terrain and an area only the size of a single county, shouldn't and simply cannot accommodate so many people. If Shenzhen had 10 million fewer people and 3 million fewer cars, this 'county' would be much more comfortable.
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Too many people, that's for sure. It's really about how to plan things better, isn't it?