Heilongjiang drops promise of toll-free New Year's eve  

黑龙江除夕高速通行变不免费 疑因“被讨伐”

从向媒体透露“拟从除夕中午开始免费”，到“说我们‘不讲政治’，真的压力好大”，并表示是“误读”，再到明确表示除夕高速不免费——历时近一个月，曾被网友狂赞的黑龙江高速除夕免费，在14日发生大逆转。[查看全文]

(ECNS) -- The highway management bureau of Heilongjiang province announced on Tuesday that highways in the province would not be free on New Year's Eve, contrary to the bureau's previous promises, which said the province would start toll-free highways on Lunar New Year's Eve.

An official from the transportation department in Heilongjiang said in an interview that the department felt great pressure from the media, but netizens question whether that was what led to the change, Xinhua News Agency said on Wednesday.

According to media reports, a transportation official from an eastern province said Heilongjiang didn't put political factors into consideration before it set highway toll-free dates starting on Jan 30.

Media reports also said that other provinces in China refused to bow to public pressure and follow Heilongjiang's example and would allow toll-free journeys starting on New Year's Day, from midnight on Jan. 31.

Heilongjiang provincial highway management bureau thus clarified on Tuesday morning that the media had misunderstood their statements and they had to wait for the official policy from the Ministry of Transport.

Liang Xiao'an, Ministry of Transport spokesman, announced on Tuesday that the country would operate highways toll-free for only seven days, from Jan 31 to Feb 6, the 2014 Spring Festival holidays.

The news has dampened public enthusiasm. As New Year's Eve marks one of the most important days in the year for Chinese people to reunite with their family, most people prefer to return home before or on that day.