Traffic, as Usual.

Jalan Dago

To say that traffic in Bandung is challenging would be an understatement. A more accurate statement might be that traffic in Bandung is INSANE, especially to a westerner who comes here for the first time. I’m not even talking about weekends or holidays when people flock from surrounding cities to shop Bandung’s outlet malls. I’m talking about regular traffic on a regular day. I know I’ve mentioned it before but I've decided that Bandung traffic deserves to be my subject of the day. I want to make sure you've got the full picture.  

women getting ready to cross the street

cars, motors, angkots

As you can see from the photos, the streets are filled mainly with cars, trucks, angkots and motors (what Indonesians call scooters) carrying multiple passengers and all sorts of other items. Add to that men pushing loaded carts and throw in a few becaks (the local version of a bicycle rickshaw or pedicab).  You’re beginning to get the picture. Traffic moves at different speeds, depending on what part of the city you’re in. The white stripe down the center of the road serves only as a mere suggestion, not a law to be strictly adhered to. It is more common to drive across the white line than not. It really just depends on what traffic is doing up ahead.

bananas and mangos on back of motor

The best way (except in rainy season) to get around is the "motor" or scooter. However, if there are more than 5 persons in your immediate family traveling together or if it is raining hard, motors have their drawbacks. But aside from either of those scenarios, they are the quickest way to get around the city. Obviously, cars can only move as fast as the cars in front of them are moving. Motors, on the other hand, rarely stop moving. They continue to flow around any stationary objects (non-moving cars) even when it means a tight squeeze between vehicles or lopping over onto the "sidewalk" (footpath).

passenger carrying newly purchased tree

If you are a pedestrian, good luck. The one big warning given to us upon our arrival at Fulbright headquarters in Jakarta was to be careful crossing the street. It didn’t take long to understand why. There are no real places designated where the traffic stops to allow pedestrians to cross. People just cross wherever they need to. There is an art to crossing traffic. First look for a tiny gap or opening, then proceed s-l-o-w-l-y with an arm outstretched as you go, while attempting to make eye contact with as many drivers as possible. In other words, you are your own traffic monitor as you navigate your way across the street. This usually works better if there are several people trying to cross together.

becaks with passengers, motors and cars share road

out the rear view

I am constantly amazed that there aren't more accidents than there are. In our time here, our car has either hit or been hit by 3 motors - thankfully very minor. Our newest driver is light years (experience wise) ahead of our previous one, who seemed to prefer riding the white stripe and was constantly getting honked at. At first he was always killing the engine and I thought something was wrong with the car but as it turned out, he really just didn’t have any experience driving a car with standard shift. He was a very aggressive driver, probably because he was used to driving a motor. Our current driver is much more defensive in his driving and we've yet to be honked at. Whew!

i always wonder where everyone is going?

Another factor that adds to the overall driving picture is the maintenance (or lack of) of the roads here. The freeways are decently maintained, although Ronnie did see a motor with driver disappear down into an unmarked hole in the street in Jakarta! In addition to the sheer number of vehicles on the road at any given time, the city streets are often riddled with pot holes, some of which simply cannot be avoided. Given these factors, along with the sheer number of people traveling on Bandung’s streets, it’s amazing that there are as few “incidents” than there are. We rarely ever see people lose their temper and for the most part, drivers don’t appear to be frustrated or angry. They just understand that this is what getting around in Indonesia’s third largest city is like.

negotiating an intersection

Traffic in Indonesia moves on the opposite side of the road from what we are used to in the US due to the Dutch influence and later the British. Few motorists carry insurance. These factors, overlaid with with the scenario above are the reasons we (and expats in general) hire someone to do our driving. In addition to getting us where we need to go, our driver is also great about picking up and dropping off laundry and other quick errands. As you can see, having a personal driver does have its advantages!

typical view from the back seat

Addendum: When I started this post, Ronnie left to get a much needed massage at a place not far from our apartment. After sitting in traffic for one hour, he abandoned his idea and returned to the apartment. He did stop and pick up some bottled water on the way back; at least it was not a totally wasted trip. Sigh...