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Traffic jam indicates poor infrastructure

For several days, hundreds of frustrated truck drivers have had to eat and sleep on the road to the port city of Merak, Banten.  A shortage of ferries making the crossing to Lampung has been blamed for the 12-kilometer snarl of vehicles that has almost led to a riot among the tired and hungry drivers.  About a hundred officers from the police’s Mobile Brigade (Brimob) were dispatched on Saturday to defuse the situation, and by nightfall local residents were reportedly seen bringing food to the drivers.  With 14 of the 33 ships that normally serve the route in disrepair — blamed on factors including poor port management, capacity and policies — the government over the weekend dispatched ferries to help clear the backlog, which officials said would take at least five days.  (more…)

Traffic jam in mega city Jakarta

Jakarta’s traffic has always been a big problem for the government. If you mention about the traffic in Jakarta then the image is a big and complex traffic jam all around the street. Especially in around 5.00 pm to 20.00 pm (the ending of office hours).

United Nation Environment Program (UNEP) has place Jakarta as the third most pollutant city in the world after Mexico City and Bangkok. The UNEP also said that 67 percent of the pollution comes form automobile emissions. And according to Kojima and Lovei in 2001 traffic is the biggest donator to particle emissions which contribute to the increasing of 80-90 percent lead or PB. And as we all know that PB is a very dangerous substance for human health. (more…)

Another guide driving on ice

Skidding out of control on icy roads toward a solid object is a decidedly unpleasant event. It is even more unsettling if the object is a roadside barricade meant to prevent vehicles from plunging off an adjacent cliff. The more disastrous scenario is that you have lost control of your 3,000-pound SUV during a snowstorm and are sliding quickly toward a subcompact filled with a pair of astonished parents and their terrified brood.

Unless you have been trained in how to respond to a snow- or ice-induced skid, you will invariably succumb to what the experts call “target fixation.” That is: focusing on your impending doom instead of taking proper evasive action. This will result in a crash. (more…)

Do we still need red light cameras ?