Staggered working hour schedule slightly improves rush hour traffic in Beijing

Schools

Primary schools might increase the number of "waiting classes"

The reporter learned from Shuangyushu Central Primary School and Huajiadi Experimental Primary School that on the first day of the new working schedule, the expected situation that a lot of students would have to stay at school waiting for their parents did not appear. Relevant officials from the two schools said that the schools had already established "waiting classes" in the past in order to gather and watch over the children whose parents were late picking them up. On April 12, the number of such students did not increase. If the number of these students increases in the future, the school will also increase the number of "waiting classes" and the teachers in charge of the classes will have to share the burden of watching over the students.

Civil Affairs Bureaus

Marriage Registration Offices

Open to newlyweds half an hour ahead of the usual start time

At 8:30 on the morning of April 12, clerks from the Marriage Registration Office at the Civil Affairs Bureau of Haidian District began to receive newlyweds. Reporters learned from a relevant official from the office that many of these newlyweds had made online reservations beforehand. In order to prevent the new system from creating trouble for the newlyweds, the office still opens at 8:30. It is said that from right now until early May, newlyweds who have made online reservations will come to the office to go through marriage registration procedures and the office will be open to them in accordance with the previous working-hours system. In Xuanwu and Chongwen Districts, relevant marriage registration offices also open to newlyweds at 8:30 am this week.

Opinions of residents

No significant change in traffic congestion for primary and middle school teachers

The staggered working hours rule does not apply for primary and middle schools. Teacher Zhang from a middle school in Chongwen District said that she goes to work at 6:30a.m. every morning and the traffic is smooth because it is the off-peak period. There was no traffic congestion on April 12 as before. However, when she took a taxi to get home at 6:30 p.m., she still had to endure the evening rush hour just as before. There was a traffic jam for seven to eight minutes at the Liujiayao crossing because of bridge maintenance.

Teacher Jin from a primary school in Dongcheng District said, "I generally get to school before 7 a.m. without catching the morning rush hour. I felt that it was very congested when I went out to handle some affairs after 8 a.m."

Employees at foreign-funded enterprises are concerned that the staggered working hours may become "rush hours"

On April 12, Mr. Lu who works in the CBD area left his home in Tongzhou District by car after 7 a.m. and arrived at the office before 9 a.m. He did not feel that the traffic condition was better. Lu said that employees at foreign-funded and private enterprises have always started work at 9 a.m. and as the traffic flow between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. is already very heavy, he was afraid that the roads would become even more congested after Beijing’s government departments, SOEs and institutions adopted the staggered working hours adding even more people to the "6-9 group."