WATCH: Dozens of motorcyclists stuck in Busway lane, carry their motorcycles over barrier to avoid cops

Photo: Video screengrab
Photo: Video screengrab

You probably won’t see a more infuriating video today.

If you’ve lived in Jakarta for many years, you know that the barriers for the capital’s busway lanes (which are designated exclusively for TransJakarta buses) have been raised to keep other vehicles from entering them. But that hasn’t stopped many motorists from sneaking into the Busway lane to bypass traffic jams, inconveniencing others, or worse, endangering themselves and other people.

Yesterday, a video went viral showing just how badly some Busway lanes are being misused. The video, posted to news aggregator Instagram account @jktinfo, shows dozens of motorcyclists trying to flee like a frightened herd from a Busway lane on Jalan Sultan Agung in South Jakarta.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BZ0dNC-lg05/?taken-by=jktinfo

The reason they panicked, as you can see in the video, is that there were traffic cops at the end of the Busway lane waiting to fine the misbehaving motorcyclists. The drivers weren’t able to go back and exit where they entered because a TransJakarta bus was blocking them, so they worked together to lift their motorcycles over the barrier, inevitably causing a huge hold up for law-abiding motorists in the normal lane.

Motorcyclists caught driving in the Busway lane can be fined IDR500,000 (US$37) by the traffic police. The video cuts off before we can see how many of the motorcyclists were caught by the cops.

PT TransJakarta said that this kind of incident still happens too often in the city.

“For all drivers of two-wheeled or four-wheeled vehicles, please respect the rights of the TransJakarta passengers. If you want a quick, comfortable and affordable ride then get on the TransJakarta bus,” said PT TransJakarta Public Relations officer Wibowo, as quoted by Kompas.

Several drivers of online motorcycle taxis like Go-Jek and Grab were also seen in the video, prompting the latter to issue a statement condemning their drivers’ behavior.

During a recent traffic raid on motorcycles driving on the forbidden Kasablanka flyover in South Jakarta, some motorcyclists who were fined said that they risked breaking the law just so they could avoid the city’s notorious traffic jams. It seems that many motorcyclists in the capital live by that mentality, seemingly placing less value on their safety and the safety others than their time.

While numerous car drivers have been guilty of unlawfully driving in the Busway lane as well, it’s much more dangerous for motorcyclists to do so. In July, a man miraculously survived with only a broken leg after a TransJakarta bus ran over him and his motorcycle, while in May, a woman died after her motorcycle collided with a TransJakarta bus. Both incidents occurred after the victims decided to break the law by driving in the Busway lane.



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