While cyclists have been riding out onto Jakarta’s major roads in ever-increasing numbers, a photo that has gone viral recently may just be the perfect representation of how Jakartans feel about the phenomenon.
The photo, which shows a motorcyclist giving his middle finger toward a group of cyclists pedalling on the fast lane behind him, has been making the rounds on social media since yesterday. The photo is believed to have been captured by a member of @gaya.bersepeda cycling community. One tweet posted by user @samartemaram garnered more than 6,400 retweets and 12,300 likes at the time of writing.
Berani beraninya ama pejuang antipolyusi ibukota pic.twitter.com/WlNzCnkHFd
— Rumah Tersembunyi (@samartemaram) May 27, 2021
“How dare [the motorcyclist do that] to the capital’s anti-pollution fighters,” the user wrote sarcastically.
Cyclists are prohibited from riding on the right side of the road, which is the designated fast lane used for overtaking slower vehicles.
The photo has received a multitude of reactions from netizens, though most mainly sided with the motorcyclist — whose motorcycle sports an AA number plate signifying that it’s registered in Central Java’s Magelang City, Kebumen regency, and their surrounding areas.
Bukan karena gua punya idola anak Magelang yang di Belanda ya kalau gua ngebela driver plat AA ini, tapi emang pesepeda ini mau pakai jalan ya dipinggir aja! Gua tahu hobby kalian itu lebih mahal dibanding harga motor ini tapi ya mbok ngertio sitik ngono lho.. pic.twitter.com/3Vnf27EAGt
— Komisi Wasit (@MafiaWasit) May 28, 2021
“Not because I have an idol from Magelang who’s now in the Netherlands that makes me defend the driver with plate number AA, but these cyclists should’ve been on the side if they wanted to use the road! I know your hobby is more expensive compared to the price of this motorcycle, but please be more understanding.”
Another user uploaded what appears to be his own video, showing how hordes of cyclists on Jakarta’s main commercial thoroughfare Jalan Sudirman could potentially harm others as they’re cycling way too close to the middle of the road.
Liat ndiri aje dah baru 2 hari yg lalu nih……harus segera ditertibin biar kagak berlarut2 dan keulang lg hal beginian pic.twitter.com/WdcekKUAAE
— Zaid Haritsah (@tanpalaqob) May 27, 2021
“Just see it for yourself, this was only two days ago… [the cyclists] should be controlled soon so this won’t drag on and this kind of [violation] won’t be repeated again.”
As expected, some have resorted to using the photo for their meme stash.
Life must go on 🍻 pic.twitter.com/moudBhiqSw
— A W (@alvinwija_) May 27, 2021
The cycling community in the photo, @goshow.cc, has given their side of the story after the photo went viral. In an Instagram post, they explained that they were cycling on the right side of the road in Central Jakarta’s Dukuh Atas area to avoid a bus that was merging left to go into an underpass.
View this post on Instagram
“After we thought all was cleared, we wanted to move back to the left, but out of nowhere the motorcycle gentlemen [sic] came up… and finally [resulted] in the one viral photo [that’s been] floating across Whatsapp groups, which gave everyone one-sided assumption,” the caption reads, along with a #ShareTheRoad hashtag.
The post is still up with netizens attacking the community with mostly negative comments, as they deemed that @goshow.cc hasn’t gotten off of their saddle to admit their mistakes.
Also Read — Non-folding bikes are now allowed on Jakarta’s MRT
