T

he West Java Transportation Agency is planning to ban large buses from traveling along certain sections of the Cikidang route in Sukabumi, West Java, following a recent deadly tour bus accident.

Twenty-one people died and nine others were severely injured on Saturday afternoon when the driver of the ill-fated bus lost control of the vehicle on the Cikidang route, causing the bus to plunge into a 30-meter-deep ravine.

The bus was among four tour buses hired by PT Catur Putra Raya for an employee gathering. They were headed from Bogor to the Citarik River for a rafting trip.

The accident-prone Cikidang route connects smaller roads to Citarik, which is famous for rafting and adventure sports.

Under the plan, medium and large tour buses would only be allowed to pass certain sections of the road and would be required to stop at certain designated areas, West Java Transportation Agency head Dedi Taufik said on Wednesday.

Passengers would then be transferred to smaller vehicles that would transport them to the tourism destination.

“It is because large and medium buses should not pass the [Cikidang] road,” Dedi said.

A road assessment conducted by a joint team from the agency and the local police following the deadly accident last week found that several parts of the winding Cikidang route had various gradients and uneven widths, making it unsuitable for large vehicles.

“There will be also a police escort for the deployed vehicles [transporting passengers to the Citarik area],” Dedi said.

The planned measure is expected to temporarily prevent bus accidents, which have often been caused by faulty vehicle break systems, pending a long-term plan to install more emergency escape ramps along the Cikidang route to slow down vehicles in distress.

In its bid to curb traffic accidents across West Java in the long run, the province is also considering replacing conventional guardrails along several accident-prone roads with a rolling barrier system, which is designed to reduce the force of impact in the event of a crash.

The plan, Dedi said, would include the Cikidang route in Sukabumi, Emen slope in Subang, the uphill Gentong route in Tasikmalaya and the Leuweung Tiis route in Garut.

However, as the rolling barrier technology is a new innovation, the agency might have to import it from the South Korean company that developed the system several years ago.

Newly inaugurated West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said he supported the plan.

“I have ordered the transportation agency to study the possibility [of setting up the rolling barrier system]. If needed, they could fly to South Korea to bring it [the technology] here,” he said.

Brake system failures have been at the center of a number of fatal accidents on many mountainous roads connecting cities in the province in recent years, such as an accident in February on the Emen slope that led to the deaths of 26 passengers.

Since 2004, at least 58 people have been killed in traffic accidents on Emen slope, which runs 3 kilometers downhill from the nearby Mount Tangkuban Perahu Tourism Park.

From their investigation into the Cikidang tour bus accident, authorities also suspect possible negligence on the part of the bus operator, as the bus had allegedly not undergone the periodic roadworthy test for the past two years.

Authorities also reportedly found that the driver did not possess the required “B1” bus driving license, but a regular car “A” driving license, meaning he was not qualified to operate a tour bus.