By Viktor Chong viktorchong@thestar.com.my

Bumper to bumper traffic jams are a common occurrence for most major cities, and Kuala Lumpur is no exception. The Malaysian government has taken various attempts to curtail traffic jams in the metropolis, such as the construction of elaborate MRT and LRT infrastructures, incurring huge costs at the same time. Sadly, such efforts do not seem to translate to tangible results, and roads are still chock-full of vehicles.

Frankly, there are much cheaper ways to eliminate traffic jams on the road, and we may start with a rhetorical question such as, “Is it necessary for everyone to start work at the same time or around the same time?” Now let’s imagine a rudimentary timetable where people from different fields and professions stagger their working hours.

A difference of one hour may appear superficial, but hold your horses as we spell out the benefits.

Different working hours equals different lunch hours

Since everyone does not converge on the same lunch hour, it is easier to find parking or a table at a particular restaurant, as the previous lunch crowd would have already cleared by then. 

Restaurant owners are capable of capturing the bulk of their customers without incurring added cost to increase the size of their premises, as the crowd trickles in periodically. Customers further benefit from a better quality of service as chefs do not need to rush to prepare meals, unlike a situation where the crowd is huge and time is of the essence.

Less demand for parking spots

Commercial and retail lots do not need to prepare a surplus of parking spaces as customers arrive and depart at different times. Since more space is saved, land can be allocated for other purposes such as landscaping to beautify the township or transformed into community spaces that benefit residents. 

Reduce property prices

Parking spaces, not considering the underground and overhead types, take up a substantial portion of land area in the city. Economics 101 states that less parking spots mean less demand for land, effectively reducing the price of land on which properties are built.

Hence, properties will be a little cheaper for all of us. 

Drop in petrol expenditure

Traffic jams are veritable bonfires from which fuel is wastefully used up. Vehicles may move sporadically in a jam, but petrol is still consumed to keep engines running. Notwithstanding wastage, the higher demand for fuel inexorably leads to a hike in future fuel prices. 

Frequent braking during the stop-and-move condition also puts the mechanical integrity of vehicles to the test, and oftentimes, that translates to revenue for your mechanics. Traffic congestion further serves to increase carbon emission, leading to global warming and other adverse climate effects. Ultimately, any measure that reduces traffic jams saves your wallet and planet at the same time, while keeping the mechanics away.

Increase work output and improve family time

The prospect of going back and forth within the traffic jam is mentally exhausting. Tired employees do not perform optimally, and this affects the output of the very entities that employ them. 

Without the baggage of traffic jams, residents are capable of reaching home stress-free and on time, providing them ample opportunity to bond with their loved ones. And it goes without saying that a cohesive and productive community propels the nation forward, generating benefits that will touch every layer of society.

Complications of implementation

With all the benefits laid out on paper, the idea of staggering working hours seemed like a wish come true for urbanites. However, implementation will not be that simple as a few major hurdles need to be cleared for it to happen.

Dinosaurs in suits

The old money community usually represents employers in huge corporations, and they may be sticklers to tradition and inflexible bureaucracy. Staggering working hours is a radical shift from our traditional methodology of work, and employers may not be inclined to make that shift. Without their support, such a move will not happen.

Consolidation may prove problematic.

Industries and professions are often interrelated, and it can be hard for one to function without the other. For example, the work of an auditing firm very much depends on the working hours of the client company. 

You wouldn’t want to call up your lawyer for legal advice only to find out that he or she has left the office at 3.30 pm to return home. Then there are the problems of organisations having branches in other states across Malaysia, and these components require coordination and communication to operate on a day-to-day basis.

The challenge is to align these working hours in a way where benefits are maximised while inconveniences are reduced or eliminated altogether. It won’t be easy but think about the benefits.