Traffic

Jakarta is a very busy city traffic wise, it has a network of toll roads (4 or 6 lane carriageways) where the flow is marginally easier except at peak times; some of them have hard shoulders (which are pretty rough and ready) and these are used as an extra overtaking lane if traffic is heavy.

In and around the middle of the city on the other routes through the city centre and business districts it is a dog eat dog world – lane discipline is an optional extra class that not many take in driving school.

Two lane roads are in reality four lane roads as a constant stream of small motorcycles race along at the edges until their passage is blocked by a street vendor's handcart; their only option at this point is to wait for a halt in the flow and then edge out around the nearest car to make progress down the middle.

You can pull up at the head of the line on a red light and by the time it turns green you will find 100 to 200 motorcycles in front of you – usually 2 up but I have seen families of four travelling on 50cc mopeds.

Guys who make a living at busy T junctions on the back roads in the city stepping out to stop oncoming traffic armed only with a whistle and a shirt that looks vaguely official; once the driver has made it half way across the
road the “traffic cop” will receive a small coin worth around 5p for risking his neck.

They also work at bars and restaurants on busy streets where you could wait for days to get into the traffic flow without some external intervention.

Amidst all this chaos the really strange question is why do you seldom see accidents – it is as if a master choreographer is pulling all the strings and somehow collisions rarely occur.