Jakarta driving - rules of the road

I think I have posted previously on driving in Jakarta, but thought I'd add a few comments from recent experiences. I had quite an enlightening discussion with my Bahasa Indonesia teacher the other day on driving, licences and traffic rules in general. We were discussing the word for traffic sign (rambu-rambu) and I asked what the word for a specific sign, e.g. a stop sign, was. Apparently there isn't one, because most drivers only recognise stop signs so other signs are meaningless! The reason for this ignorance? Well, there are two ways of getting a driver's licence in Indonesia - with or without the test. My tutor informed me that a driver's licence or SIM costs Rp50,000 (about $5) and requires both theory and practical test. Or, for Rp300,000 you can get your SIM "tanpa test" (without test) and join the roughly 80% of drivers who have a licence but no verifiable driving skills! My tutor sat the test, failed and subsequently obtained her licence through the "tanpa test" route. One wonders what the incentive for testing officers is in passing prospective licence holders since the alternative is significantly more lucrative.

Moving on from rambu-rambu, I encountered possibly my most difficult Indonesian word yet - pernyebarangan (pedestrian crossing) and once I untwisted my tongue, mentioned that these seemed rather irrelevant since traffic generally neglected to stop for people crossing anyway. This was met with the Indonesian equivalent of "derr!" and the (rather obvious) comment - "80% of drivers have licence tanpa test. What did you expect!?". Silly me!

Refreshments while waiting in the inevitable traffic

I was also informed about the privileges of diplomatic plates (we don't have these) including apparent indemnity from basic traffic rules such as no driving in busway lanes and free parking throughout the city! I'm not sure how much is an official privilege - I suspect not much! On the flip side, my tutor also expressed horror at the difficulty of obtaining a licence in Australia, the cost of fines, and the idea of speed limits less than 150 km/hr!

There are a huge number of police on the roads in Jakarta. Most seem to stand at intersections idly waving cars on, but occasionally they also enforce some of the road rules. As with obtaining a licence, there are two methods of resolution when pulled over by police. The issue can be settled immediately for a small fee, or you can follow the officer to the local station and be issued a ticket. The former is definitely preferred by most of the constabulary! With a number of roads one way only at certain times, local knowledge seems a prerequisite for avoiding this sort of encounter. Apparently the police presence is also highly dependent on the weather - when the rain comes, the roads become complete chaos and police are rarely seen, preferring to be available during relatively normal traffic conditions instead.

While Kieran now has his licence and seems quite happen to play driver when required, I think I will stick to being driven and hope that practical experience and common sense will ensure that all those around me with what might be called "weetbix packet licences" manage to get where they are going safely, so that I can too!

More traffic jam vendors - they sell food, drinks, toy aeroplanes, motobikes, magazines, you name it!