During Ramadan the evening rush in Kuala Lumpur moves earlier and gets more urgent. Buka puasa traffic builds from about 5 pm and runs to around 7.30 pm, as people try to get home, to family or to a bazaar before the fast is broken at sunset, which in KL falls between about 7 pm and 7.30 pm depending on the time of year. Civil servants have also been allowed to leave work early during Ramadan in recent years, so the office exodus starts sooner than you'd expect.
Ramadan moves about 10 to 11 days earlier each year, because the Islamic calendar follows the moon. Whenever it falls, the shape of the day on the roads is much the same.
Morning and early afternoon
Ramadan mornings on the road look much like any other weekday, and this is the easiest time to get errands, airport runs and cross-town meetings done. If you have the choice, do your driving before mid-afternoon.
From about 4 pm
Offices start emptying earlier than usual, so the evening queues start forming earlier too.
Food delivery riders get busier as people order for buka, and they're riding against the same clock as everyone else. Give motorbikes extra room in residential streets and near food outlets. Our guide to driving with motorcycles in KL has the habits that help.
5 pm to sunset: the hard part
This is when the roads are at their worst, and when drivers are at their most tired and most rushed. Researchers at UiTM's transport institute, Mitrans, list the risks: speeding to get home in time, jumping red lights, risky overtaking, and drivers whose concentration has slipped after a full day without food or water.
What helps:
- If you're fasting, plan to break your fast wherever you are at sunset. Keep dates and a bottle of water in the car so you're not racing the clock.
- If you're not fasting, be patient with the driver who's in a hurry, and leave more distance than usual.
- Avoid booking anything time-critical in this window. An airport drop-off at 6 pm during Ramadan needs much more margin than one at 2 pm. See how early to leave for KLIA.
Ramadan bazaars and parking
Bazaars set up along roadsides, in car parks and next to mosques across the Klang Valley. Cars parked on the shoulder and double-parked near the stalls narrow the road, traders spill onto the edge, and pedestrians cross wherever the stalls are. For the biggest bazaars DBKL sometimes changes traffic flow, as it has done by making part of Jalan Raja one-way.
- If you're going to a bazaar, park legally a short walk away and walk in. Double parking is how one car blocks a whole lane.
- If you're just driving past, choose a route that avoids the bazaar street between about 4 pm and sunset, or go through before the stalls open.
- Watch for children and people carrying food crossing between parked cars.
At sunset and after
Once the fast is broken, people stop to eat, and the pace changes. On the highways, petrol stations and R&Rs fill up at buka time as drivers pull in to eat and pray, so if you're on a long drive, either stop a little before sunset or carry on past the first busy stop.
Later in the evening, traffic picks up again around mosques for terawih prayers. If you're not going to the mosque yourself, park further away, and never block anyone in.
If someone in your car is fasting
If your driver or any of your guests are fasting, plan the day around it. Build a buka stop into an evening itinerary, avoid a long drive that runs through sunset without a break, and ask before eating or drinking heavily in the car.
Buka puasa dinners, chauffeurs and timing
For a family buka puasa or an iftar for clients, a chauffeur saves you the 5 pm drive and the parking hunt at the restaurant. Booking a chauffeur by the hour works well, with one thing to know: hours that start between 7 pm and 11 pm are charged at the evening rate (30% more), and from 11 pm to 7 am at the overnight rate (50% more). A 5 pm pickup with a drop-off home at 10 pm is mostly evening hours, and the booking page shows the full price before you reserve. Our hourly chauffeur pricing guide works through examples.
Ramadan ends with Hari Raya Aidilfitri, and the balik kampung rush that comes with it. For that, read our guide to balik kampung traffic, and if the family needs a bigger car for the visiting rounds, Alphard and Vellfire rental for Hari Raya covers the seven-seaters in the rental fleet.
