Bali is wonderful, but the endless traffic, coupled with the relentless sun, is clearly not the island's best feature. Authorities, naturally, are aware of this and are making efforts to solve the problem.
For instance, Indonesia's Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno, stuck in traffic once again upon arriving on the island, suggested, among other things, maritime transportation as a solution. In his speech addressing transportation issues, he stated, 'The construction of the LRT will indeed help tourism in Bali, but we have also proposed maritime transport so that areas like Canggu, Jimbaran, and Kuta can be reached by a kind of sea taxi.' The minister didn't delve into details, but the idea seems promising. Bali already had a project for passenger transport from Canggu to Uluwatu, Goboat.id. They recently opened a new route from Canggu to Jimbaran, but it seems the service is not particularly popular, possibly due to high fare costs. Nevertheless, an extensive network of destinations served by affordable, fast, and safe boats could potentially alleviate road traffic. On the other hand, considering the number of bikes and cars on the roads, it's challenging to imagine how many water taxis would be needed to make any difference. Perhaps large boats could operate, transporting tourists directly from the airport to major locations. In any case, it will be interesting to see what comes out of this potentially exciting idea.
Efforts are also being made to address traffic issues heading to the airport. We reported on the real traffic collapse on the roads during the New Year. Passengers were forced to leave taxis and buses, attempting to reach the airport on foot as they were running late for flights. Perhaps it's worth starting with fixing the situation at intersecting traffic directions right at the airport entrance? Somehow, I feel this original solution doesn't contribute much to the free flow of traffic; however, authorities suggest other alternatives. For example, there's an idea to create elevated pedestrian crossings so that they don't slow down traffic. Another option is to establish a dedicated lane for transport from the airport to Nusa Dua. For this, either a tunnel will be built or a new road will be constructed. The head of the National Police Traffic Corps, Inspector General Pol Anang Suwanto, said, 'According to information received from the Bali province, we will create a special passage from the toll road to the airport. Whether it will be an underground passage or a new road will be determined by a special study. We hope to implement this.'
However, authorities are pinning their main hopes on the LRT, metro. Bali officials speculated that the laying of a new railway network on Bali could begin by the end of this month. It's planned to eventually consist of six railway lines and one tram line, connecting all major tourist and business destinations on the island. Both above-ground and underground branches are envisioned. Of course, these are long-term plans, but there's hope that once at least the first route – Airport-Kuta – becomes operational, traffic jams on the roads will be reduced, even if just a little. Serious traffic problems are often caused by huge tourist buses.
2024 promises to be the year for Bali to fight traffic jams. At least, authorities have pledged not to allow a transport collapse next New Year, and this will require considerable efforts as the tourist flow continues to grow, recovering from the pandemic.
Sources: tribunnews, antaranews
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