The metropolitan rush hour

都市交通高峰期

It is just 7:00 in the morning and already there arethe early birds at the subway and bus stations. Notwanting to be caught up in the rush hour, they riseearly so as to be ahead of the mad crowds who willsoon appear from all directions. Quietly they get into the subway train and the buses and leanback to catch up on their sleep.

With the hands of the clock pointing at 7:20, the exciting scene happens. Out of nowhere thereare thousands of vehicles on the road, cars, motor-cycles, taxis, buses and bikes fly their waythrough streets and lanes, horning at each other and cursing the traffic lights. There are alsopeople, smartly dressed office ladies and gentlemen, uniformed workers, nurses, teachers andstudents, rushing about, now and then anxiously glancing at their watches and blamingeverybody that blocks the way. School children seem never to walk but run everywhere like aswarm of bees. To the rush mass nothing is more important than getting in time to theirdestinations.

This is the metropolitan rush hour. But about an hour later, the roads are free of heavy traffic, people are seen walking slowly, vacant seats on the buses are waiting for passengers. Themad rush for the day is over, but it will be repeated at the same time the next day.