Zipper truck to relieve traffic jams during rush hour

World
Europe

Special machinery has been introduced recently in Jinan, capital of east China’s Shandong Province, to alternate traffic lanes and relieve congestion during rush hours.

Xinhua Photo

The zipper truck can relocate seven to eight custom-made safety barriers at a time from one side to the other, each weigh more than 50 kilograms, at a speed of eight kilometers per hour.

Within half an hour, the two kilometer west-east bound Lyuyou Road was converted into 4-2 formation from 3-3 to facilitate tidal flow at the time.

The convertible lanes are applied between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays, only in a trial operation.

Photo from Shenzhen Metropolis Daily‍

The first such zipper truck in China was introduced in Shenzhen last October, which was inspired by the one on the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco in the US.

In early 2015, the new vehicle was introduced on the bridge to relocate barriers, ending the history of 80 years of manually changing the traffic flow.