Have you passed through Canggu recently? If the answer is yes, then you might have caught sight of a new banner put up on the infamous Canggu Shortcut, which prohibits cars from passing through the narrow road as part of the local residents’ attempt to reduce traffic congestion in the area.
The banner, signed by the Canggu and Tibubeneng villages, was put up about a week ago.
“Cars prohibited from entering except for motorbikes,” the banner reads.
We’re well-aware, of course, that this isn’t the first attempt to stop cars from using this lane. There has always been an official traffic sign prohibiting all but motorcycles from entering, but that has obviously gone unheeded. There was also that Canggu pole joke (which has its own Instagram account, by the way), though it never lasted long enough to make an impact.
The new banner is large enough that it’s unmissable, but, so far, it seems some still haven’t received the message.
Over the years, the Canggu Shortcut, AKA Jalan Anggrek and Jalan Echo Beach, has mustered quite a reputation. A simple Google search would present you with write-ups explaining how you can get to it and roughly cut the journey from Berawa Beach to Batu Bolong Beach by half the time and distance. While the road’s too small to properly accommodate two cars side by side, it has not stopped cars from passing through and some notable ‘fails’ have at least entertained the internet.
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Seeing that the new banner isn’t working, local residents reportedly moved the sign on Saturday to make it more visible, supposedly after drivers caught passing through reasoned that they didn’t see the sign because it was put up too high.
Bless the local residents for their patience. The video below showcases people working on a new sign to be put up in a different position, so that drivers passing through can actually see it before they make the turn and, hopefully, heed it, too.
We’ll see how that goes. In the meantime, let’s not be part of the problem and try not using this lane when we’re driving cars in Canggu, shall we?
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