China's Epic Traffic Jam: Welcome to the First World!

Did you hear the news about the epic traffic jam on China's Beijing-Tibet Expressway? It was 60 miles long and lasted for 11 days in August.  According to a Wall Street Journal report:

Though triggered by construction, the root cause for the congestion is chronic overcrowding on key national arteries. Automobile sales in China whizzed past the U.S. for the first time last year, as Chinese bought 13.6 million vehicles, compared with 9.4 million vehicles in 2008. China is racing to build new roads to ease the congestion, but that very construction is making traffic problems worse—at least temporarily.

Welcome to the First World, China!  You've abdicated your title as the "bicycle kingdom" in favor of car culture. Now you're faced with First World transportation woes and its related problems.