Traffic police will be closely monitoring passenger buses and toxic-chemical container trucks as the Spring Festival transport rush begins.

 

And at midnight last night, they began a crackdown on drink driving.

 

"Daily traffic flow has already showed considerable seasonal increase since a couple of days ago," said Kang Cangsang, a police officer on duty at Shanghai-Jiading-Liuhe Expressway's Zhuqiao checkup station.

 

The expressway is a major artery for coaches and cargo trucks travelling between Shanghai and neighboring Jiangsu Province.

 

Traffic flow is expected to increase by about 10 percent from the usual 35,000 to 40,000 daily vehicle movements around the highway's Zhuqiao Station section.

 

Police officers on local highways are required to stop and examine at least 80 percent of the passenger buses and every chemical-cargo vehicle.

 

Extra passengers on overloaded buses will be required to get off, and police will then contact the bus company to organize for them to be picked up in another vehicle.

 

Passenger overloading is more frequent during the festival transport peak.

 

Police said they are aware that some passengers make deals with bus drivers to leave the vehicle before the police checkpoint and rejoin it later. They are asking for cooperation from passengers and other authorities to help fight this practice.

 

Police have also warned drivers to avoid driving after drinking over the holiday period.

 

Meanwhile, about 5.6 million passengers are expected to use Shanghai's two airports during the Spring Festival peak travel season - up 8.3 percent from a year ago.

 

The peak season started yesterday and continues until March 2.

 

Air traffic flow from and to Shanghai is expected to account for more than 25 percent of the country's total during the peak.

 

Pudong International Airport will handle 3.45 million passengers during the 40-day peak period, while 2.15 million people are expected to pass through Hongqiao International Airport.

 

Huge crowds are expected to hit the two airports from January 30 to February 5, at the beginning of the holiday. Another peak will occur on February 11 and 12, when many people are due to travel home.

 

Passengers will be unlikely to snare discount fares.

 

Tickets to popular destinations such as Sanya, Haikou, Chengdu and Jinan are at almost full-rate until the end of the festival.

 

China Eastern Airlines has sold out its six charter flights between Shanghai and Taipei.

 

The carrier plans to add more than 2,000 flights during the festival to destinations including Hong Kong, Macau, Harbin, Taiyuan, Guilin, Jinan and major Southeast Asian cities.

 

Shanghai Airlines has added 108 flights to Wanzhou, Mianyang, Yinchuan, Guilin, Xiamen, Qingdao, Fuzhou, Bali, Bangkok and Phuket.

 

(Shanghai Daily January 24, 2008)