(BEIJING, October 23) -- Fall has arrived. With it come shorter days, longer nights and cooler temperatures. And this week, the conditions are just right for the autumn leaves to change color.

The Beijing Traffic Management Bureau has some tips for Beijing residents in their daily commute and in their weekend excursions to see the colorful leaves at Fragrant Mountain (Xiangshan).

Concentrated traffic congestion

According to traffic reports from the Beijing traffic emergency number, 122, traffic is at its worst during the morning rush hours from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and during the evening rush hours from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. With the shorter evenings, the p.m. commute rush has become more concentrated, with the highest traffic visible between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Most congestion in the evening is visible on the ring roads and on the roads leading to the suburbs.

Beijing Subway Line 5

With a reduced subway fare and convenient transfer locations, an unforeseen number of commuters are riding the recently opened Line 5 subway. The good news is that Line 5 has reduced the road traffic in areas along the Line 5 route, most noticeably around Tiantongyuan.

More parking spaces will be made available for the growing number of commuters choosing to park their cars and bicycles to take the subway.

The best time to see autumn leaves

This coming weekend will be the best time of year to enjoy the autumn colors at Xiangshan. To minimize the traffic in the Xiangshan area, the traffic bureau encourages the public to use the public buses that stop at Xiangshan, including bus routes 634, 331, 360, Special 5, Yuntong 112, and 696.

In addition, the traffic bureau points out that there are a number of places in Beijing's surrounding areas, including Longqingxia and Miyun, where the autumn scenery is also spectacular.