Cyclists ride against traffic on Jagorawi toll road, police investigate

Police are pursuing a group of cyclists who illegally and dangerously rode on a toll road in Jakarta, even going against the flow of traffic at one point, as they proved that there’s indeed a fine line between bravery and idiocy.

Dash cam footage of the incident has gone viral and sparked outrage in the country, especially with cyclists increasingly developing a reputation for negligence amid a biking boom in Indonesia during the pandemic.

Pengendara sepeda terobos Tol Jagorawi

Mereka bahkan menyeberang sembarangan lalu melaju melawan arus di Tol Jagorawi.

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The video, taken yesterday, shows at least seven cyclists riding on the Jagorawi toll road, which connects Bogor and Jakarta. Three cyclists can be seen riding on the emergency lane, seemingly looking for an opportunity to merge right into the fast lane. Ahead of them were four cyclists already on the fast lane, who rode through a gap on the concrete divider and swerved right onto the road shoulder of the opposite lane, narrowly missing an oncoming truck and some cars.

Police said that they have reviewed CCTV footage from the area and determined that the incident took place at around 8:45am. The cyclists entered the toll road from a village road near the 45 kilometer checkpoint and rode for a further 1 kilometer when they went against the flow of traffic as seen in the video.

The group was later caught on CCTV taking a break at a rest stop on the 45 kilometer checkpoint at around 11:40am, before they later loaded their bikes onto a white pickup truck.

“We are still looking into their identities. We are heading towards one of their houses. Because we identified them from CCTV footage, we must first make a positive confirmation,” Jagorawi Patrol Unit Chief Fitrisia Kamila Tasran said this afternoon.

Toll roads in Indonesia are reserved for vehicles with four wheels or more. Violation of the law may lead to two months’ imprisonment or a fine of IDR500,000 (US$33.46).

In August, the Jakarta provincial government proposed the idea of opening up certain toll roads in the capital to cyclists. The proposal was later shot down by various stakeholders on safety and legal grounds.