Free passes not to blame

Traffic jams seem a sure companion of national holidays. On May 1, there were constant traffic jams on highways leading out of the several metropolises, the longest, according to reports, was 55 kilometers.

Some blame the jams on the two-year-old policy that allows cars with no more than seven seats to use the highways for free on public holidays, claiming it has encouraged people to drive out of town on trips, but a Beijing News editorial said this is not the real cause of the jams.

The growing automobile culture is doubtlessly among the causes. Data shows that China's production and sales of automobiles both exceeded 20 million in 2013, making it world's top auto market for five successive years. But over the same period there has been no breakthrough in highway construction, and when there are too many birds the nest will naturally become crowded.