Hechi keeps traffic running smoothly during holiday season

A traffic officer serves hot ginger tea to travelers at a service station on Feb 1. [Photo/hcwang.cn]

It's not easy dealing with the Spring Festival travel rush, the largest annual human migration in the world, but things have gotten easier in Hechi thanks to the efforts of traffic officers.

Traffic officers have strived to keep things moving as smoothly as possible as the Chinese New Year travel season kicks off in Hechi, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, according to a Feb 2 report from hcwang.cn.

With the arrival of the holiday, highway traffic has surged from 5,000 to 12,000 vehicles per day, according to Wei Zhiwei, a traffic officer.

"We have made arrangements to deal with this year's travel boom, ensuring that everyone gets to where they need to be as quickly and safely as possible," Wei added.

Portable flashlights and colorful woven bags have been prepared for travelers at designated service areas and check points, in case of emergency. Leaflets were also distributed advising travelers on safety precautions.

"It's great that the police are offering leaflets, they're extremely helpful", said Lei, one of the thousands of travelers.

Lei's five-member family was on its way back to Meishan, Sichuan province from Yunfu, Guangdong province to celebrate the holidays. Temporary stations have also been put up along the highways to provide free catering as well as vehicle inspection and repair services.

A police officer chats with Lei and his family around a brazier, reminding them of traffic safety. [Photo/hcwang.cn]

Braziers, warmers, boiled water, and ginger tea help keep travelers warm while biscuits and instant noodles keep them nourished and ready to continue their journey.

"The ginger tea has kept our bodies warm and our spirits up. We will definitely try to stay safe and enjoy our time on the road", said Lei with as much optimism as he could muster.

"Thirty-three officers from our team work are on duty now as the traffic is picking up. Despite the cold, we'll do all we can to ensure people get through safely and smoothly," said Xie Yi, an officer at the Liuzhai checkpoint of Nandan county on a section of the Lanzhou-Haikou expressway.

A total of 17 stations have been set up at checkpoints and waiting rooms at long-distance bus stations in Hechi this year. Over the course of 10 years, the stations have given out over one million promotional flyers and items worth a total of 300,000 yuan ($47,808).

A child enjoys some milk tea from a traffic officer. [Photo/hcwang.cn]