Plis Deh Jakarta!

So, Jl. Pangeran Antasari, one of the busiest roads in South Jakarta, is going to be made a one-way street. Problem is, the Jakarta city administration hasn’t figured out which way.

Really increases my level of confidence in their planning capabilities…

Reader comments on an article reporting on the new rules and fines being imposed to motorcycle riders cover a range of reactions; from the usual:

- it’s about time there was a crackdown on the reckless motorcycle riders

to the somewhat illogical:

- if this goes on, sooner or later they’ll be fining pedestrians

to the conspiracy theorists:

- this rule does not side with the ‘little people’. It is a conspiracy between the city administration and the producers of motorcycle headlights to increase sales.

So I wonder how people would react to the rule where drivers are not allowed to make calls while driving? Maybe they’ll say it’s a conspiracy between the city administration and producers of cellphone handsfree kits.

That said, I am not aware if this HP handsfree rule applies to motorcyclists, which we still often see making calls while riding their motorcycles.

… holding a gallon-sized water bottle.

… holding the helmet he or she is supposed to wear.

… calling on the phone.

… SMS-ing on the phone.

… holding a cigarette.

… holding a bag of groceries.

… holding a baby (!)

… carrying a long plank of wood.

… waving those flashlight-cum-lightsaber thingys usually used for directing traffic.

A family of four on a motorcycle whizzing through the streets of Jakarta on Thursday. (Photo: Afriadi Hikmal, JG)

There is a new rule which bans people from riding motorcycles with more than one passenger. The rule also applies for carrying oversize luggage on a motorcycle. But apparently, the rule will only apply for people going home in the Lebaran season.

So, safety first only applies in the holidays?

This is smart! Rather than hounding motorcyclists at every corner, the police simply distributed free helmets. Well, it sort of feels like handing our condoms without sex education, but at least it’s a step in the right direction.

Then again, you never know if the free helmets aren’t left at home or sold.

Hating people who cut lines on the Transjakarta queue, or people littering in the Transjakarta facilities?

This lady (and her group) has the right idea: she always scolds people cutting in line, and tells on people who litter. For most Jakartans, it may be a bit harsh, but maybe it’s just what we need – we live in the city where people wear motorcycle helmets because of police nearby, and not for their own safety.

Suara Transjakarta is, I think, a better way for citizen activism, compared to endless demonstrations in front of government buildings. These guys are not pro-government, mind you – they have their criticism towards the Transjakarta service as well. But they are working positively on how, at least, the average citizen can make Transjakarta better. Because if we want to make Jakarta more tolerable to live in, it’s also up to us, not just the government…

Today, I’d like to propose something: let’s make some sort of online petition, or Facebook page/group, or something, for Citizens Against Noisy And Useless Police Escorts. Well, the term ‘police escorts’ might technically be incorrect, but you get my drift.

Every day, whether in traffic jams or not, we meet a small entourage of vehicles – the smallest being one expensive sedan like a Camry or Mercedes-Benz, escorted by an all-black Nissan X-Trail with police lights on top and four mean-looking guys inside – trying to get you off the road with their sirens so they can pass. Even when the roads are obviously jammed, the security vehicle still makes unending noises with the siren, and flashing all sorts of lights on the vehicles in front.

It gets so annoying that one time I almost didn’t give way to an ambulance, a vehicle we really, really should give way to.  Yet, these escort vehicles keep doing it, trying to get whoever they’re escorting just a few minutes faster to wherever the destination is. Just yesterday I saw a 3-car entourage with a police car in front and the black X-Trail at the back, doing its noise and light thing, trying to get through Sudirman traffic – the drivers in front of the entourage wouldn’t have been able to give way even if they wanted to, since the 2-lane road had already been overtaken by 3 lanes of traffic.

So, save us some irritation and use the energy to try to solve the actual traffic problem, eh boys?

At long last, the government is mulling over on changing the way public transport systems are paid.

Right now, public transport routes are licensed to member companies of Organda (the Organization of Land Transportation Owners), who then require their drivers to pay a minimum per day to cover those license costs. This in turn causes the lack of service, the disregard of safety, the lack of maintenance, causing traffic jams, and generally a total suck as something supposed to satisfy the general public. Because this way, drivers will only care about making their minimum daily payment – to hell with what the passengers want, and to hell with the law!

The new payment system proposed pays by the kilometer, and not by minimum payment, so that the drivers would stick to their routes.

Although it took perhaps 20 years to see this glaring shortcoming, at least a big change will come. Who knows when.

Today we had the distinguished honor of having no less than 19 rallies and demonstrations around the Jakarta area. So almost all of us had our week’s serving of traffic jams, all within a day, regardless of hour. As many as 5.000 demonstrators showed up at Bunderan HI,  backing up traffic along Sudirman.

Oh, did anybody catch what they were protesting about? I know it’s May Day, usually commemorated by laborers… but…

This morning, in the usual traffic jam in Kemang, I almost hit a motorcycle when moving forward as the motorcyclist simply cut me off and went on his way. As a good Jakartan I gave several honks of protest, but apparently the motorcyclist was annoyed by the noise.

He opened his visor, turned back and said something – I couldn’t hear what he was saying as I was in the car, the windows were all up and the stereo was on. But of course, that didn’t stop him from his string of what I assume were expletives, accompanied with various rude hand gestures, which went on until he was far from my car. 

A friend once told me if I ever was in a minor traffic accident – fender bender, small dent and so on – we should always try to get the upper hand in acting angry, whoever was at fault. So even though the motorcyclist was at fault, he’ll never admit he’s wrong.

And that, is a typical day in Jakarta…

In honor of websites and blogs trying to make Jakarta better (unlike us, who just bitch about it), we recommend the website lewatmana.com. There are traffic cams for certain intersections and main roads, which hopefully add more over time. If you’re a Twitter user, you can also follow the traffic updates through their Twitter account. There’s also a mobile-enabled page. We think this website can help make living in Jakarta just a bit more tolerable.

The city administration and the police take a crack in disciplining motorcycles and buses.

Good luck with that!

In Karawaci, the public minivan drivers complain about chaotic traffic.

…

…

…

In Soviet Russia, the traffic complains about YOU!!

Semanggi intersection, Gatot Subroto section. A Thursday afternoon.

The road is packed to the brim with cars and no movement in sight. Traffic is jammed all around and seemingly hopeless. Thankfully, the frustrated drivers have subsided their incessant honking for the last half hour or so. Except one – a gold Toyota Fortuner, haplessly trapped in between minibuses and minicars, cranks up the siren horn. Once. Twice, three times, then on and on…

Perhaps the driver thinks people will get out of the way just because he sounds his siren.

In Jakarta, usage of these police sirens are not limited to law-enforcement cars, but also to military vehicles, to bodyguard cars for government officials, even private cars, to the annoyance of many people due to the frequent use of these high-decibel sirens in Jakarta’s frequent traffic jams.

If say in American movies, the sound of the siren marks the coming of law enforcement or emergency services, in Jakarta it marks a government official passing by, or just some jerk who managed to get his hands on one.

This, sadly, has made many drivers react badly to ambulance sirens – they simply don’t budge until they actually see it’s an ambulance trying to pass by.

So here’s something we should support – abolish the sirens altogether! Use those old-fashioned bike horns or ask nicely if you want to pass.