Traffic in Bali

pisangkudedek

Has there ever been attempts to try to fix this mess ? I was here before the pandemic and I've never seen it that bad. Every road is plugged !

AuroraB

I stayed here during covid and can confirm no visible attempts made to "fix this mess". When checking google map and activate layer for "traffic" I can see that in my area (east Denpasar including Sanur) and up east coast it is mostly green while (example) Kuta and up the west coast it is deep red many places. No surprise there as the only half decent road in the area (Jl. Sunset) is terminated into a small kampung (village) road in Seminyak for no apparent reason...

britoo

pisangkudedek wrote Has there ever been attempts to try to fix this mess ? I was here before the pandemic and I've never seen it that bad. Every road is plugged !

Conspiracy theory - releasing a novel cronovirus on the World worked wonders for Bali's traffic and garbage mountain problems, 1 min to pass seminyak, same for Ubud (the best City in Asia - say what now), beautiful empty curving roads with some of the World's best scenery. Economy not so happy mind. Now relax, suck in those petrol the fumes and just wait, It'll be all over in an hour or two. I guess I have nothing contructive to add......... There are these bus routes now but alas they run above me, below me, to the right of me and the left of me but nowhere next to me so I havent been able to try them yet ....sigh

harryopal

britoo wrote Conspiracy theory - releasing a novel cronovirus on the World worked wonders for Bali's traffic and garbage mountain problems, 1 min to pass seminyak, same for Ubud (the best City in Asia - say what now), beautiful empty curving roads with some of the World's best scenery. Economy not so happy mind. Now relax, suck in those petrol the fumes and just wait, It'll be all over in an hour or two. I guess I have nothing contructive to add......... There are these bus routes now but alas they run above me, below me, to the right of me and the left of me but nowhere next to me so I havent been able to try them yet ....sigh

Jalan Uluwatu 1 has been undergoing road works so often have to wait ten minutes or more as traffic narrowed to one lane on what had already been a busy road. No road works yesterday with Merdeka so the traffic was easy. But whatever plans are developed there is the simple reality that the population keeps growing and there is an eagerness for more tourists so short of another pandemic or Mt Agung speaking up I don't see any overall improvement for the future.

Markit

When I just imagine all the benefits I've been told again and again there are for living down south such as all those full gyms, smelly yoga centers, expensive restaurants, dirty beaches you all have such easy access to after the hour long jams and how remote and horrible it is up here with nothing but rice terraces, fresh air, mountains and clean beaches to go to I just about laugh out loud. Enjoy....

Foamcrest

We have just left Penestanan where the traffic is manageable, however Ubud is almost at gridlock. Markit is so right about living in the north, we just love it. Currently in Jemeluk for a few nights then heading to Lipah. If you have never been to this area then please just come and look. You can find accommodation from $20.00 a night, we’re paying $38.00 for a beautiful room overlooking the ocean. This is what I call ‘the real Bali’.

sakumabali

AuroraB wrote No surprise there as the only half decent road in the area (Jl. Sunset) is terminated into a small kampung (village) road in Seminyak for no apparent reason...

The masterplan had the sunset road continued BUT apparently some people build houses (and temples) ON the extension. Of course without building permit! No government so far dared to demolish those....

Balifrog

Never seen any traffic jam in Sanur. Now, of course if you want to live in Ubud it's gonna be a part of your life....

harryopal

pisangkudedek wrote Has there ever been attempts to try to fix this mess ? I was here before the pandemic and I've never seen it that bad. Every road is plugged !

Whatever is done to " fix this mess " usually involves traffic disruptions as works are carried out. And whatever is planned it seems unlikely to cope with ever increasing populations and, despite Covid, more and more tourists. If the world manages to deal with climate change and plastic pollution maybe we will move on to face the reality that world population increases pose enormous problems with ever increasing demand on resources.

Mark

Foamcrest wrote We have just left Penestanan where the traffic is manageable, however Ubud is almost at gridlock. Markit is so right about living in the north, we just love it. Currently in Jemeluk for a few nights then heading to Lipah. If you have never been to this area then please just come and look. You can find accommodation from $20.00 a night, we’re paying $38.00 for a beautiful room overlooking the ocean. This is what I call ‘the real Bali’.

The current gridlock in Ubud is mainly due to ngaben ceremonies, as some roads are closed and traffic rerouted. According to the Balinese calendar, these days are particularly auspicious for holding mass cremation ceremonies, which banjars do every few years.

Markit

harryopal wrote Whatever is done to " fix this mess " usually involves traffic disruptions as works are carried out. And whatever is planned it seems unlikely to cope with ever increasing populations and, despite Covid, more and more tourists. If the world manages to deal with climate change and plastic pollution maybe we will move on to face the reality that world population increases pose enormous problems with ever increasing demand on resources.

Harry you're a little behind the times mate - populations are falling all over the developed world and the powers that be have no clue how to stop it and are terrified growth will follow the pop decline. Hell, even China is terrified with their pop falling like a stone. Apparently only India (I was there in the 80s when the pop was 600 million, now 1.4 billion!) and Africa is still going up. I doubt if the later will be a problem for Bali as most earn less than 1$/day, India too. It seems that the problem is educating women, give em some learning and if fills their pretty little heads with all kinds of wild ideas like "freedom" and political power. Who would have thought?

harryopal

Harry you're a little behind the times mate - populations are falling all over the developed world and the powers that be have no clue how to stop it and are terrified growth will follow the pop decline. Hell, even China is terrified with their pop falling like a stone. Apparently only India (I was there in the 80s when the pop was 600 million, now 1.4 billion!) and Africa is still going up. I doubt if the later will be a problem for Bali as most earn less than 1$/day, India too. It seems that the problem is educating women, give em some learning and if fills their pretty little heads with all kinds of wild ideas like "freedom" and political power. Who would have thought?

Well, Markit the populations for the developed world might be marginally decreasing but whatever the official figures, Did you count them? Hah. Meanwhile a Stanford University study suggests "... Until cultures change radically, the optimum number of people to exist on the planet at any one time lies in the vicinity of 1.5 billion to 2 billion people, about a third of the present number, three California ecologists estimated in an article published in the journal Population and Environment...." World populations are projected to increase. 2022 approx' just under 8 billion and 8.5 billion by 2029. Africa's total population is projected to reach nearly 2.5 billion by 2050. In 2020, the continent had around 1.34 billion inhabitants, with Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Egypt as the most populous countries. Central America's population is around 180 million and is expected to be 206 million by 2035. A problem for the US with every increasing numbers trying to cross the borders. The population of Indonesia is estimated to grow from 272 million people in 2020 to 298 million people in 2030. Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world Closer to home, population in Denpasar has grown by 4.05% by per year and it remains as the fastest growing city in Indonesia. Bali's is presently 4.2 million with a projection of just under 5 million by 2035. Whichever way you look at it we are a bit overcrowded and plundering resources at unsustainable rates.

SamD

Climate change is real. Man made climate change is a political theory. The idea that Joe fucking Biden can change the climate by printing a load of $$$ and giving it to companies that his wife has invested in is just ludicrous. Wake up, people!

sakumabali

SamD wrote Climate change is real. Man made climate change is a political theory. The idea that Joe fucking Biden can change the climate by printing a load of $$$ and giving it to companies that his wife has invested in is just ludicrous. Wake up, people!

so what's the alternative - do nothing?

Balifrog

sakumabali wrote so what's the alternative - do nothing?

Enjoy life, drink Bintang while looking at nice tan skinned young women..... But if you're really serious try to calculate the carbon print of the war in Ukraine..... After all nobody gives a s**t how many people die for nothing, important is to "save the world".... Boney M ?

PERtoDPS

I always assumed the roads are built for scooters not cars. We had a car for a while but much prefer scooter and just using go jek or grab when a car is needed. I always thought they should knock out some buildings and widen the road but the arguement put to me is that everything is heritage listed and of course you all know how they feel about their temples. We're also going to Bali to get away from the western countries not replicate them, I think that's easy to forget to sometimes. I'm certainly guilty of that when I'm there.

pisangkudedek

"The mess" comes from the fact that 90% of the roads are barely large enough for 2 cars. Yet you see cars, pick up trucks, vans, trucks, bigger trucks and buses everywhere. How about imposing more vehicle size limits on some roads and enforcing it ? Maybe that's the issue, it can never be enforced? Whenever I find myself stuck and pissed off in traffic I can't help but wonder what's wrong with people driving cars here ? Really I wouldn't want to drive a car even if I was paid $500/h to do it. Do they lean more towards selfishness? ie I want to drive a car so I will drive a car and f everyone. I don't care about being a nuisance and making people stressed, angry and very late everyday. Or do they lean more towards lower intelligence ? ie what's wrong with driving a car in Bali ? About the world population discussion I remember watching this video in which Elon Musk say the problem is the opposite of what most people think, including smart people. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa8sEzhLm8Q I remember thinking this is interesting and wanting to find out more about what he's talking about. But then I realized I have much higher priorities than watching interesting yet anxiety provoking videos about things I have no control over anyway.

AuroraB

<QUOTE author="pisangkudedek"><s>[quote=pisangkudedek]</s> "The mess" comes from the fact that 90% of the roads are barely large enough for 2 cars. Yet you see cars, pick up trucks, vans, trucks, bigger trucks and buses everywhere. How about imposing more vehicle size limits on some roads and enforcing it ? Maybe that's the issue, it can never be enforced? Whenever I find myself stuck and pissed off in traffic I can't help but wonder what's wrong with people driving cars here ? Really I wouldn't want to drive a car even if I was paid $500/h to do it. Do they lean more towards selfishness? ie I want to drive a car so I will drive a car and f everyone. I don't care about being a nuisance and making people stressed, angry and very late everyday. Or do they lean more towards lower intelligence ? ie what's wrong with driving a car in Bali ? About the world population discussion I remember watching this video in which Elon Musk say the problem is the opposite of what most people think, including smart people. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oa8sEzhLm8Q I remember thinking this is interesting and wanting to find out more about what he's talking about. But then I realized I have much higher priorities than watching interesting yet anxiety provoking videos about things I have no control over anyway. <e>[/quote]</e></QUOTE> Roads here are saving lives not time. Imagine the carnage if excellent roads allowing for all driving at crazy speeds in low spec cars without much safety features mixed with motorbikes, trucks (and pedestrians). Try crossing one of the "better" roads like Jl Bypass through Sanur on foot...

harryopal

PERtoDPS wrote I always assumed the roads are built for scooters not cars. We had a car for a while but much prefer scooter and just using go jek or grab when a car is needed. I always thought they should knock out some buildings and widen the road but the arguement put to me is that everything is heritage listed and of course you all know how they feel about their temples. We're also going to Bali to get away from the western countries not replicate them, I think that's easy to forget to sometimes. I'm certainly guilty of that when I'm there.

Yes, Bali becomes another Los Angeles with fly overs and multi lane arteries and another concrete jungle. Denpasar is already pretty well buggered. Perhaps when someone adds up how much money can be got out of a huge multi lane solution with lots of flyovers. I wonder if there is a project already on the drawing board.

sakumabali

matsaleh wrote Bali priests will not allow flyovers, as they may pass over temple sites and that's taboo in Balinese culture. That's why the underpass was created at Simpang Siur on the way to the airport and not an overpass.

And that's why the Ngurah airport is where it is......the narrowest place on Bali ;)