Effectiveness of Flexible Working Hours on Traffic Index, a Case Study for Tehran

Nowadays, traffic congestion is a major problem in metropolises that affect daily life. The imbalance between supply and demand causes congestion. Demand management is used to balance demand and supply since has more reasonable costs and fewer restrictions in comparison with increasing transportation supply. One policy in order to manage the demand and reduce Tehran traffic congestion is to implement flexible working hours since October 2022. In this study, the effect of flexible working hours on traffic congestion has been investigated by using the length of Tehran's congested roads. The linear regression has been modeled based on the length of traffic congestion of the second week of October 2019 before the Covid-19 epidemic in comparison with the second week of October 2022. By flexible working hours, the graphs of the average hourly queue length have become smoother. In 2022 this chart has two prominent peaks as morning peak and evening peak. In 2022, the height of these two peaks has decreased and the trips have been more evenly distributed over time. In 2022, the height of these two peaks has decreased and the trips have been more evenly distributed over time. It was expected to face more road congestion due to the traditional education after the virtual education during the Covid-19 epidemic, user behavior changes, and an increase in the usage of private cars. Nevertheless, by implementing flexible working hours, Tehran's traffic congestion has been far more suitable except for the Limited traffic zone than the urban management's prediction.