Traffic Chaos Continues as Black Friday Shoppers Experience Delays at Wrentham Outlets, Natick Mall, Auckland Krishna Holi Event, M4 Motorway Crash, and China's 50-Lane Motorway Turns into a Car Park

Heavy traffic was not limited to the U.S. Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) this weekend. Black Friday shoppers at Wrentham Outlets and Natick Mall in Massachusetts also experienced hours-long traffic backups, causing frustration and delays. The Wrentham Police chief warned drivers on Twitter to avoid the outlet mall due to excessive waits and traffic congestion. Some shoppers reported witnessing fights and chaos as people tried to merge and navigate the traffic. The Gorro family, unable to reach Wrentham after two hours of trying, ended up at the Natick Mall, where they also encountered gridlock and long waits. The traffic situation at both malls disrupted the shopping experience for many customers.

This incident highlights the ongoing issue of traffic congestion during major events and shopping holidays. The growing popularity of Black Friday and the increasing number of shoppers have put a strain on the infrastructure surrounding shopping centers. In addition to the frustration and delays experienced by shoppers, the traffic congestion also impacts local residents and commuters. It is clear that improvements need to be made to address the traffic challenges during these high-traffic periods.

Meanwhile, thousands of people attempting to leave the Krishna Holi Festival in Kumeū, Auckland encountered a logjam of traffic at the exit roads, with motorists waiting for more than three hours. The annual event, a celebration of Holi, started at noon and ended at 4pm. About 9000 people had registered for the event, but approximately 15,000 attended. The event organizers had prepared parking for 9000 people and had two entrances and one exit. They had encouraged festival-goers to drive to the venue and warned that public transport was limited. The event is run and supported by a registered charity, volunteers, donors, and sponsors. This incident adds to the growing concern of traffic chaos during major events, highlighting the need for better traffic management strategies and infrastructure improvements.

In addition to the traffic congestion at shopping centers and events, delays were also experienced on the M4 motorway in Wiltshire, UK, after a vehicle crashed off the side of the road. The westbound carriageway between junction 16 and junction 17, near Chippenham, was initially closed, causing delays of up to half an hour. Two lanes have since reopened, but there are still up to three miles of congestion on the motorway. National Highways has stated that lane one of three will remain closed while the vehicle is recovered. This incident further emphasizes the challenges of traffic management on major roadways and the need for prompt incident response and recovery.

China's 50-lane motorway, the G4 Beijing-Hong Kong-Macau Expressway, also experiences severe congestion and turns into a car park due to a checkpoint that reduces traffic from 50 lanes to 20. Thousands of drivers have been caught for hours on the road, which has been named one of the busiest in the country. In 2015, drivers were stuck for hours after the checkpoint forced traffic to merge down to 20 lanes. China, with a population of 1.4 billion, is known for its bad traffic and busy public commutes. In 2010, there was a gridlock stretching over 74 miles between the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region and Beijing, leaving drivers stranded for 12 days. In 2012, free road travel during a national holiday turned 24 motorways in 16 provinces into a massive parking lot with more than 85 million people stuck in their cars.

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