Term 1 week 2

This is the worst hour of the day. At exactly 5.30 in the evening, the mass exodus of people from their offices never fail to materialise. They rush out of the office buildings in Shenton Way and crowd around the bus stops which are now dwarfed by their presence. The side walks are so congested with human traffic that one is hard pressed to find a decent space to travel on. In the end, many frustrated pedestrains begins to invade the roads.

Such an invasion obviously irritates the drivers, who now not only have to watch out for other vehicles but also the pedestrains. They honk impatiently at the pedestrians who try to cram themselves along the road as well as those more suicidal ones who attempts to zig zag through the roads to get to the bus stops on the opposite side of the road within the shortest time. Th evening air hangs heavy with the cacophony of horns blaring, vehicles moving and people talking.

By the, the bus stops are packed to the brim, with the people squashed together like sardinesin a tin. But the seem not to mind. Perhaps they are too used to the smell of stale sweat that permeates the air every evening. Others who are not so fortunately immuned to it move a distance away from the crowd to try to inhale some fresh air. But it is a futile effort, for the heavy traffic is emmiting nauseous fumes as well.

Once the buses glides into the bus bay, the crowd proceeds as a whole towards the tiny entrance, shoving and pushing each other in an effort to get the treasured seats. But many are not in luck. They find themselves standing uncomfortably close to each other as the bus keeps admitting more passangers. The voice of the bus driver can be heard distinctively above the commotion, urging those standing at the back of the bus to move further in.

The traffic congestion now gets worse as the buses find themselves hemmed in by other cars. The incredible heat generated by the crowdings well as the rising frustrations of the drivers is not at all conducive to those forced to wait at close proximity to each other. But the descending cool air of the evening now wafts in and indicates the easing of the traffic congestion. Soon the vehicles move out of the business district and lesser commuters are seen crowding the area. Peace will soon reign here after the rush hour.