These days we often read about the chaotic traffic on streets in Bali and the problem of garbage on its beaches – the major tourist attractions on the island.

Instead of just complaining about the problems, I would like to make some positive suggestions.

First of all, have you noticed that traffic intersections run smoother when the lights do not work? Doesn’t that tell you something about the inefficiency of traffic light systems? It seems that the traffic authorities do not know how to synchronize the lights to accommodate the various traffic flows.

The intersection of Sunset Road and Iman Bonjol is an example of the problem. The changing of lights from green to red, which takes less than one minute, only allows a few, of the hundreds of waiting cars to pass through the intersections. It creates very bad traffic congestion.

The situation is getting worse, but traffic authority official do not seem to be paying any attention to the problem, or perhaps they do not know how to fix it. If they really do not know, they should hire experts to explain how the lights should work. The French worked the problem out decades ago.

Meanwhile, the beach problems are not so easily solved. The mentality of throwing garbage into rivers and letting someone else deal with the problem has to be changed.

Thousands of tons of plastic bags, rotting vegetation and food simply flow down from the rivers into the sea and have damaged the once-beautiful beaches.

The answer to the problem is to firmly enforce the existing laws as well as continuously educate on the environment at all levels in schools, because otherwise Bali will remain behind on this issue. Violators of environmental laws should face tough punishment.

Can we do it? The answer is yes, we can. Many countries, including Australia, had the same problems in the past. But they solved the problems a couple of generations ago by enforcing strict anti-pollution laws as well as educating their citizens about the issue.

Come on Bali, wake up and give your island a chance to achieve its real potential, as otherwise you will be left behind by your competitors, who have actually less to offer but have a better understanding of managing their natural resources.

JIM M.

Legian, Bali

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