A record-breaking rainfall in Delhi in the last month of January caused major traffic jams in the entire city once again. After forecasts of thunderstorm, heavy rain and hailstorm lashing the city for the next two days, people are already planning to take a day off or leave work extra early to avoid jams. Heavy rains and bad weather makes it even more stressful and painfully long to drive through inevitable traffic snarls and choc – a – block roads.
Although traffic jams are sometimes unavoidable there are steps you can take to be prepared and lessen your chances of being stuck in it. Follow these tips and plan ahead and you will notice that your time in the car will decrease.
1- Be alert about the rain situation your area. Knowing about the current weather can help immensely in saving time and energy. If it has rained already, take a route that avoids roads with huge pot holes and water pools.
2- Keep your FM radio on to find directions so you can adopt routes which are safe to drive during heavy rain.
3- There are plenty of aps and traffic monitor websites that provide a live and detailed view of the traffic situation on the road you can take or were planning to take, try ‘Google traffic’. This research before you head out could save on a lot of fuel.
4- Adjust your work schedule. The average person works between 8am and 6pm, which means that they all usually travel to and from work at the same time. If you plan on getting to work an hour early and leaving an hour late, you will likely avoid the majority of the traffic and added to that, make your boss happy.
5- Car accidents and break-downs are most common during rain and can cause the longest jams. We advise you to be a little pro-active and help the traffic to move in a more organized way and faster. This will save everyone’s time, including yours.
6- News, newspapers and government bodies always stress on this one. Prefer taking public transport on days when heavy rains and hailstorm have been forecasted. Leaving the comforts of your car for a day will not bother so much. Make sure you carpool with 3 to 4 people, if taking the car, is extremely necessary. This is not only save fuel, but also that you will be in the company of friends during a jam.
7- Walk down if your work place is a few kilometers away. Put on your sport shoes that you carried with you to work, and take a long, pleasant and rainy walk home. Save money, aggravation, environment- all at once.
A survey showed that Indians spend more than 90 minutes on an average, every day to travel to their respective workplaces. The study further showed that Mumbaikars spend the maximum time on the road, most of which is undoubtedly because of the rain.
