Gridlock as tolls are waived for holiday

Some drivers use the hard shoulder and emergency lanes to beat congestion

Huge traffic jams occurred on many of the country's highways on Sunday, the first day of an eight-day holiday that exempts drivers of most cars from paying tolls nationwide for the first time.

The policy, aimed at alleviating holiday road congestion by giving free passage to automobiles with seven seats or less, brought more vehicles to the roads than ever before, creating severe congestion.