JAKARTA = TRAFFIC

Hello RYNN!

Your topic has been moved in the Jakarta forum for better visibility.

I sympathize with your problem.

Regards,
Harmonie.

I love Indonesia but there are a couple of things I hate about the place.
the internet is lousy and the roads are worse.

However, the people are great and the food is out of this world.

oooh yeah agree, the internet is pretty damn slow.

The internet is as slow as the traffic.
Anyway, think happy thoughts and eat some of that wonderful Indonesian sambal.
PS - I just bought a Yamaha Mio so I'm part of the bike brigade now. I'm assured the motorbike is king of the road out here but I tend to see them more as rats. They get everywhere and are a ruddy big problem.
I noticed large trucks were being forced to turn around rather than being allowed into BSD yesterday morning. Seems they're banned at given times of day to ease congestion.

Indonesian sambal? haha nice idea!
Woohoo you got a bike! Then you should feel offended cause Im talking about the bikes, but if you're not a bad driver and not scratching cars I think I would make an exception for you =P

PS: why Mio? cause its easy to move? hehe do you ever heard before when Yamaha Mio machine/exhaust sounds like a mosquito?

The Mio was cheap and came at exactly the right time.
It has the factory supplied exhaust so doesn't sound bad.
Rp7,500,000 and never crashed. It needed two new tyres and a good service to get it right.
I still like to use my mountain bike when I'm on the wander looking for photos but the Mio does a fine job of getting me to the supermarket for bits and bobs.
it's a taxi when I go with the family. No way would I allow my young daughter to be with us on the bike.
I've seen mothers carrying their babies while riding one handed - nuts at best.

Yeah I've seen crazy thing like that, including 4 people on one bike. Whoaaa.

Beat you. I saw 5 on a bike in Bintaro a few weeks ago.

For those that have yet to see Indonesia, if you think of traffic rules in western countries, forget them.
Indonesians drive on the left except when they drive on the right or in the centre. Traffic lights are treated as decorations and the police give about as much attention to the roads as 13 year old boys do in French classes.

Rofl.
Its getting worse.
Can't imagine how could 5 people on bike???
You know about the statement that indonesians believing? "rules are made not to make people obey, but to make people break it"

It's all part of the fun of being an expat in Indonesia.
I saw an accident this morning. The bloke fell off his bike because he hit a speed bump. Quite why a speed bump was on a corner where bikes are banked over is past me.
My other bit of fun is speed ramps on roads that are really badly pot holed. I mean....why?

hahah yea I know they don't put speed bump at the right place. And this afternoon when I was on the way to Poins Square (to get some movies =P,) my taxi driver was about to fight with a middle age indonesian guy because he ride his bike like a drunk guy and he scratched the taxi with his bike, even we know it was his fault but he blame the taxi driver and showed his middle finger to us. Aaah when this madness end?

I assumed they were all drunk.

I don't bother with the finger - Bit pointless really but handy for corrupt parkir that try to charge you silly money. I recall a guy in a small town asking me for a Rp10,000 fee to park.
I raised the finger in question and replied, "one thousand".

whoaaaaa hahahhah thats awesome fred...

I'm a naughty boy.
One thing foreigners must remember is to expect people to do daft things on the road.
You have a reasonable chance to stay alive if you do.

This road thing. I'll try to give an idea to readers not yet in Indonesia.
Yesterday a car overtook me but turned left in a caar park before he got past me. That was a bye bye to his wing mirror as I skimmed his car.
A motorbike tried to overtake me on the inside as I, indicator flashing, pulled to the side of the road. He missed because I did a rear ob before pulling in the last metre.
Just a normal day on an Indonesian road.
Make sure you have an Indonesian licence (SIM) and carry the reg docs whenever you venture out.

Traffic traffic traffic....people must change the name of the city to Traffarta....this bib bib bib all the time without a reason making me crazy.I came back to Greece from Jakarta before 3 days and im still feel dizzy.But its funny that the drivers never loud,just looking u and drive.In my country its different,if u do something stupid u must be ready for fight.Before some days my wife hit a biker,he didnt felt down and he just stop and look to us.And thats it.Nothing else.Maybe coz he was wrong for 50%.But i dont think that he know the rules.Anyway there is no rules in Jakarta streets.Bule must know this if they have to drive.And bule always must pay if something happen.And neeeeever hit,even touch the bumper of a rich mans car.Disaster!!!!!...If u r lucky,u will talk about this with the owner for 30 mins,or if u r not lucky maybe that guy will have heart attack:).

You're right guys, the traffic in Jakarta and in all big cities in Indonesia is really big problem. Even me, I hate it when I'm back to my homeland. 2 times I missed my flight, besides I left 4 hours earlier from Depok ! Can't do anything, just plan wisely when you travel and ...keep cool. And I think it's not about bule in Indonesia that you pay more than locals, but expats almost all over the world must face this. Pay this pay that, treated like money maker !

[Moderated: post in the Jakarta classifieds]

Frederick Barnard is thought to have plagiarized a Chinese proverb when he suggested one picture is worth ten thousand words.
That is now often taken as a Picture Paints a Thousand Words.
Regardless of the origin or the maths involved, it makes me wonder what word count a video may get up to.

Enlighten me with your opinions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-5QlRrMQfA

While on you tube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOkbcc-qUfA

I've been riding bikes for over 3 years in the city and after 1 minor accident, several scrapes and bumps and a daily dose of almost certain death I have no advice but slow down, ride in straight line, and be very careful at night.
And if you should pick a fight with a car make sure it is German as they cost a fortune to repair...

@mas fred. Thanks for the very nice videos. LOL:)

This is slightly off topic because it's central Java.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CP97Upuiow

And.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTiaB9nPZ14

Jakarta is full of micro buses. Most would never pass any road safety test in a western country but that's a minor problem out here.
This is from inside one in Bintaro sektor 3

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlwfA41uUIE

mas fred wrote:

Beat you. I saw 5 on a bike in Bintaro a few weeks ago.

I saw two more today and managed to snap both.
Pictures coming soon.

Complete madness out there today with everyone rushing to their next free family meal, lack of care and awareness by those riding 3 or more to a bike. Saw enough 4+ bikes today. Darwin awards coming soon you think?

Jakarta's limo!!!!!!!

5 people in 1 bike?? wonderful. (O.O)?

Impressive ! I see it how government has failed to provide mean transport for everybody. People struggle ! They have to find their own way as cheapest as possible to solve the problem. Motorcycle is very cheap and easy to get it. Meanwhile, the growth of the population increases so fast that discipline on the road is not anymore their preference. I've been wondering, what can be the reason why government doesn't take an idea to make underground train. Is there any technical problems or what ?

Jakarta is sinking 10cm every year and so a subway would not the most advisable way to improve public transport. The long awaited MRT is slowly being moved along but that still wont stem the growth of traffic within the city. The sheer amount of traffic can be managed and can flow along rather well. The problem is the lack of road awareness, law enforcement and the public's expectation that public transport can stop anywhere to pick them up or drop them off exacerbates the problem. Orderly traffic is quite achievable if the users of the road obey the rules and the rules can be or are enforced. The busway whilst ridiculed and bemoaned works. It is so successful that people complain about over crowding. Funding of course can be increased and more buses added to help solve that issue. The bigger issue lies in the suburbs where funding, government and larger social issues remain which need to be solved first. The road management in areas away from the main parts of the city needs to be improved and people need to be re-educated and laws that are in the books upheld. If done in a professional and consistent manner then no one can complain. Oh, I could go on all day.....

I'm amazed none of the bike manufacturers has looked at the UK and Europe in the 60s and early 70s when micro cars were popular.





Three wheeled so they could be driven on a bike licence but no thrills so cheap.
I'm sure they'd go down a bomb here if they were available at a price not much more than a bike.

Mas Fred, I saw a 3 wheeled bike the other day. No idea what is was maybe a piaggio? have you seen any here?

There are several 3 wheel animals around.
Some are like truck are are mostly Chinese and rubbish.
There are also several posh ones. I know of two Italian types. Quite nice and even have a boot.

Nice to see your Jakarta Traffic blog. Lots of information and a few good laughs.
On my blog hans-rooseboom.blogspot.com I also write about the Jakarta traffic conditions. I want to compile cases of needlessly bad traffic management--like no right turn, but continue and then make a U-turn thereby adding to the traffic density.
If sufficient cases have been collected they could be sent to the traffic authorities, call it: traffic ideas compiled by crowd sourcing.
Hans

I went to Wonosobo this weekend. The return was done by bus as there were no trains available.
The first jam, due to a broken down truck, saw the buses from Central Java go to the wrong side of the road to get past the jam.
They returned to the correct side after the lorry and, as there was little around at that early hour, no problem.
The second jam was later but the buses did the same anyway.
Of course they met oncoming traffic but couldn't cross the reservation as it was built up.
That lest a massive jam the other way as no one could move at all.
The buses that crossed to the wrong side were nothing short of stupid. It was pretty easy to see what was going to happen.