SHENZHEN’S roads were the most congested nationwide at about 7 p.m. Monday, according to an index on the country’s road traffic conditions released by Baidu Map, Shenzhen Economic Daily reported citing the city’s traffic police authority.

The traffic police authority said at about 10 p.m. Monday that Shenzhen’s traffic congestion index was 2.07, topping the country. The road congestion signified that work and production in the city have been returning to normal over the past two weeks as COVID-19 prevention and control efforts continue to pay off, the Daily report said.

Official statistics showed that more than 740,000 vehicles were recorded on roads across the city during Monday’s evening peak hours from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., up 19 percent from the same time of the previous week.

The traffic police authority attributed the increase in the number of on-road vehicles to the COVID-19 outbreak as fewer commuters turn to public transport such as buses and the Metro. Most residents regard driving their own cars to work as safer than taking public transport.

In the present epidemic prevention and control period, residents go straight home after work rather than socialize at public venues like restaurants, resulting in the growing number of vehicles on roads during the evening peak hours, the traffic authority said.

Lastly, Shenzhen has suspended implementing the policy of limiting nonlocally registered vehicles on the city’s roads during peak hours, leading to the increasing number of non-Shenzhen vehicles on road. The traffic authority said 18 percent of the vehicles recorded on roads in Shenzhen during Monday’s evening peak hours were nonlocally registered vehicles, up 10 percent from the previous week.

The traffic police authority has urged employers in the city to take a more flexible approach to scheduling commutes around peak hours to relieve traffic pressure.

(Claudia Wei)