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 |
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! |
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