Staggered log-out timing for IT employees eases traffic amid heavy rain

Even after a spell of rain, traffic moved, albeit slowly, unlike last week when it was gridlocked with motorists stuck in their vehicles for two hours at the same location.

The staggered log-out timings for IT employees working in the western part of Hyderabad appeared to have its desired effect on traffic flow on Monday. Even after a spell of rain, traffic moved, albeit slowly, unlike last week when it was gridlocked with motorists stuck in their vehicles for two hours at the same location.

It was on the advise of Cyberabad Police that companies adopted phased logouts of employees on several stretches to avoid traffic jams. Following this, IT companies started sending emails about company buses/cabs being rescheduled. IT employees and officials said logging off in phases had eased commute during the rains. 

DCP-1 of Cyberabad Police (Traffic) Harshavardhan Reddy said they have been conducting group calls with IT firms to discuss the timings and there has been good coordination. “We will be taking feedback from them in the next two days to discuss how to go ahead with this as the circular on phased logouts ends on July 31. The response has been good so far and traffic has also been moving without major slowdowns due to the staggered logout,” he said. 

Abhishek Bharti, who works for an MNC in Raheja Mindspace, said since the rain usually starts in the evening hours, he was happy to beat the downpour and get home earlier. “It used to take more than 30 minutes just to leave the IT park because of peak hour traffic, but the phased logout option has definitely helped,” he said.

Several IT firms announced work from home for their employees for a week as the weather worsened. 

However, cab drivers who had to adhere to the sudden changes faced issues with adjusting their regular schedules. Srinivas Rao, who works for a cab aggregator, said drivers who work part-time to cater to the IT crowd had to opt out of their routine pickups. “Fortunately, schools were shut, otherwise our other shifts would have been affected. We cannot depend solely on one route for our livelihood. The staggered logouts made it easier for us, too, to reach places on time,” he said.

As per the new schedule, companies located on IKEA-Cyber Towers Road, including those inside Raheja Mindspace, Purva Summit, Phoenix, Avance, Watermark, were to log out at 3 p.m. The companies in Knowledge City, Knowledge Park, T-Hub, Divyasree Orion and other IT parks in Biodiversity to Raidurgam stretch were to log out by 4:30 p.m. On the other hand, companies in the financial district and Gachibowli, including those in BSR IT park, Qcity, and DLF were advised to leave at 6 p.m.