Bekasi is home to 1.6 million registered vehicles, 75 percent of which are motorcycles, according to data from the Bekasi Vehicle Document Registration Center (Samsat).

“The city’s road capacity is one of the causes of traffic congestion,” Bekasi Transportation Agency traffic chief Johan Budi Gunawan said on Friday as reported by tempo.co.

Bekasi’s arterial thoroughfare is only 1,500 kilometers long, but to properly accommodate the city’s daily traffic, it should ideally be 3,300 km.

Congestions also made worse by vehicles entering and passing Bekasi from other regions, which in turn leads to congestion on roads leading from Bekasi to Jakarta.

Johan said several main roads in Bekasi, such as Jl. Perjuaangan, Jl. Ahmad Yani and all the way to the West Bekasi toll gate, became congested as early as 5 a.m. every morning.

Jl. KH Noer Alie and many roads in Kalimalang that head toward Jakarta are usually crowded by motorcycles.  

“But most of the road activities head from Bekasi to Bekasi regency, where residents work in the industrial zones,” he said.

Fifty-two intersections across the city have also contributed to traffic jams, in addition to damaged roads, illegal parking, floods and street vendors blocking vehicle flow.

“Another cause is undisciplined motorists on the road,” Johan added.

The city administration hopes that the central government’s Bekasi-Cawang-Kampung Melayu toll road, which has a section passing Kalimalang, Ahmad Yani and Jl. Agus Salim, will add to the city’s road capacity and alleviate congestion.

Meanwhile, the administration plans to increase the capacity and function of existing arterial roads in the city. (ami)

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