KUALA LUMPUR, May 2 — The busy traffic in KL can be a real kick in the teeth, especially with Ramadan just around the corner, the long drive home to “buka puasa” might feel a little longer than it used to be.
Moving at a snail’s pace all the way home on an empty stomach is not exactly the ideal way to commute home after a tiring day at work.
Not to worry though because Waze has got you covered with a few tips on the best and worst times to be on the road during the holy month of Ramadan.
Ramadan rush hour to work
The early bird gets the worm, or in this case, beats the jam. According to Waze in a press release, their predictions estimate that drivers heading to work are more likely to get stuck in a jam.
Traffic is expected to be at its worst from 8am to 11am on weekdays, and will only decrease around 3pm.
So be sure to wake up early for “sahur” this Ramadan, or you might end up having a really long and unpleasant journey to the office.
Best and worst times to have fast food
As healthy as we try to eat, the lure of fast food is just too hard to turn down sometimes.
Even if most of the fast food joints are jam-packed with people, we still find ourselves waiting patiently for our turn to order, which might take a little longer with many people visiting the fast food chains to “buka puasa”.
Waze predicts that the worst time to visit a fast food chain would be from 4pm to 7pm, most likely because it is the time that people are getting ready to break their fast usually in large groups, with friends or family.
Ideally, the best time to get yourself some fast food would be any time after 9pm, especially from midnight to 5 am, as people usually head home to rest and recuperate for the next day of fasting.
Best and worst times to visit the mall
Just like fast food chains, shopping malls are almost always filled with people. And that’s just on regular days.
But when “buka puasa” becomes a factor, “filled with people”, is merely an understatement.
Shopping malls across Malaysia are consistently packed with people from 12pm to 4pm, even more so from 5pm to 6pm, as most people will be making their way to the malls to break fast.
So, if you still have not watched Avengers: Endgame yet, then the best time for you to hit the mall would be after 7pm, as most of the people having their dinner would have probably left by then.
Best and Worst Times to Fill up on Gas
You notice your petrol is running a little low before your head to work in the morning; well you would be better off refuelling your vehicle right away, as Waze suggests there will be plenty of vacant gas pumps around before 8am.
From 9am onwards the crowd at gas stations steadily increases and hits its peak from around 3pm to 6pm.
This is because there are more people fuelling up after work or before their dinner, so it is advised that you visit a gas station after 7pm (if you have to refuel after work), as the crowds slowly dissipate by the hour.
Best and Worst Times to go to the Bank
Traffic to banks across Malaysia differ throughout the day and is usually at its fullest from 12pm to 3pm, but there is also a steady increase of traffic to banks from 7am to 9am.
So, if you have to make a quick run to the bank then those might not be the best times to do so.
If you take the phrase “quick run” literally, then ideally you should do it after 4pm, as there are fewer crowds of people during this time.
For any or more information on how to spend less time on the road, download the Waze app to test it out for yourself. For more information, please visit www.waze.com.
