Commuters not revved up by change in work schedule

Traffic congestion was hardly reduced on the first day the city began its flexible work schedule policy for 800,000 government employees.

Commuters said they failed to see any advantage to the policy as tens of thousands of families were forced to change their commuting plans during both the morning and evening rush hours on Monday.

Many drivers said some of the ring roads and other major arterial routes were even more congested than usual on Monday morning. More than 80 sections were jammed during the morning rush, according to the Beijing traffic management bureau.