So as many may already know, traffic is a very big issue in Jakarta. In fact I remember going to the dentist once, and it took me about an hour and a half to get home, when usually takes less than 15 minutes. During my first year in Indonesia I was very reluctant to try new things (I still was not used to living in another country). The idea of ever riding in a bajiac was simply ridiculous. Then one day, I was out of the dentist at 5.30 in the after noon. The traffic was UNBELIEVABLE and to top it off we had no car so we were in search of a taxi. After about 30 minutes of anxious waiting my mom points out this Bajiac that was getting closer to us, being the open person that she is, she told me that it was about the fifth Bajiac that had passed, and looking at the traffic, we would probably get home faster if we took the bajiac. Being the stubborn person I am, I told her there was no way I would get on it. She then proceeded to stop the bajiac and get in, and she asked me to get in too. I objected and to my surprised she said "ok", she gave me about 30 thousand Rp. and told me to meet her home... she the closed the "door" of the bajiac. Thats when I snapped and told her to not leave me (yes her plan clearly worked). Well to my surprised i enjoyed riding the Bajiac, it was much faster than a car and it would go through this little spaces in between cars, a trip that would easily take one hour in a car took about 25 t0 30 minutes, and the prise only Rp.20,000 (considerably cheap). Also during my trip on the bajiac, I realized that the main traffic was caused by the people on the Bajiacs and on the motorcycles, everyone would cut in front of other people at the same time, making not only a mess but also impossible for anyone to move. It also made me understand that about 40% of the traffic is caused by everyone wanting to go somewhere at the same time. This was not the last time I ever rode a Bajiac, every so often if there is too much traffic my mom does not think twice about going in a Bajiac, and personally I enjoy the trip.
Always good to try new things. Yes, bajajs can help us get home a little faster, but some people also feel that they cause problems. A lot of them have excessive exhaust and sometimes they just get in the way. Do we have too many forms of public and informal transportation? What other types have you used? Do you think TransJakarta is the answer to our traffic crisis? Again, be sure to include pictures.
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