Why is the Rush Hour at 11 A.M. in Chennai??

This is something I am not able to understand. While the rush hour is generally between 8 A.M. to 10 A.M. in the mornings at most places, in Chennai, the RUSH HOUR seems to be at 10 A.M. to 11 A.M. and sometimes it extends up to 12 P.M. in the NOON also.

If we assume that most offices would open between 9 – 10 O’Clock in the morning, the rush hour ought to be 8 – 10 O’Clock, right? The maximum traffic ought to be at that time right?

But I’ve often noticed maximum traffic between 10 and 11 A.M. in the city. Are people supposed to reach their offices after 11 or what? If there are such offices, let me know – I’ll want to start working there NOW πŸ™‚

If we assume that businesspeople are traveling at that time, then does it mean that there are more businesspeople than office staff in Chennai? Or do people start traveling after they report to work – for official reasons? Or do people prefer to wander around for entertainment on weekdays itself?

This is something I’ve not been able to figure out.

But one good thing about Chennai Traffic is, the vehicles keep moving – even if only very slowly. In Bangalore, for example, I’ve seen vehicles just stop for many minutes without much of a reason in sight.

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10 thoughts on “Why is the Rush Hour at 11 A.M. in Chennai??

  1. BIkram Mann

    THat is strange .. here I dread morning traffic for between 8 to 10 its chaos.. as everyone is going to work ..
    and yes sometimes have to wait in traffic for minutesssssss… 20miles run takes me hour and 40 minutes …

    1. Rajesh K

      That’s a lot of time, but yeah peak hour city traffic can be like that.

      Destination Infinity

  2. SG

    I know what you are saying about Chennai. With my limited experience in Chennai I personally think the rush hour in Chennai is 4 am to 12 am. Only for 3 hours (12 am to 4 am) is the light traffic time in Chennai.

    1. Rajesh K

      Ha ha… since we live here, we are used to heavy traffic and hence the smaller rush hour duration maybe πŸ™‚

      Destination Infinity

  3. Jeevan

    You are right, vehicles keep moving here. But I think rise in vehicle population is one reason that takes time to clear. Last month I took a night ride (10-12) to marina and mount road experienced quite traffic free hehe…

    1. Rajesh K

      City is pleasant to drive around during off-peak hours. Esp. nights and Sundays πŸ™‚

      Destination Infinity

  4. Divya N

    Till About 2015 only central and north Chennai had heavy traffic after 11 Am, ECR and OMR used to be super busy from 9AM to 11AM i nthe mornings. But 2015 changed everything. In the name of staggering worktimes for better traffic flow, I feel that companies have made it worse. Now 8:30 AM to 1 PM and 5:00 PM to 10PM have become peak traffic times

    1. Rajesh K

      Ya, thankfully I don’t have to commute to ECR or OMR in peak traffic!

      Destination Infinity

  5. Avada Kedavra

    I think some people must be starting late to avoid the peak hour traffic and they must be resulting in traffic jams at 11 πŸ˜€ Haha

    1. Rajesh K

      Some lazy people, yes πŸ˜›

      Destination Infinity

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