Who needs a car? Effecient transport from Indonesia.

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tim
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Who needs a car? Effecient transport from Indonesia.

Post by tim »

When I was in Indonesia this time last year I saw many instances of 3 4 and 5 people all on one small bike/scooter!

Here's some examples:
http://www.wildimagesphotography.com/ar ... 7/1718.jpg
http://aboyinjakarta.files.wordpress.co ... 5/bike.jpg

1. you're crazy enough to ride a bike on Jakarta streets.
2. wear little to no gear, thongs on your feet.
3. you carry your whole family on the bike.
4. sometimes includes a young baby in the arms of the mother or a sibling.
5. you've got your family on the bike, you're rocketing through the traffic and you've invested in a helmet. Who do you give it to? Your wife? Your children? Naahh, wear it yourself. :shock:

Even my wifes uncle rode with no helmet if my memory serves me correctly. Well-off professional, family etc.

The traffic was insane. Think parra rd in peak hour with an accident blocking one lane ALL DAY. What you think would take 20 mins to get there is 1-1.5 hours. U-turn anywhere, no such thing as a lane.

My brother-in-laws father-in-law cut off a bike rider, at the next lights they kicked our car denting the rear door as they weaved through the stopped cars.

When we arrived, a main freeway connecting the city to the airport was flooded. Road was blocked, but our stupid bus driver thought he'd drive around the road blockage, down the totally vacant freeway for about 3kms, to find, what a surprise, the road was flooded. Back we came, jumped the cue to get off the freeway by about 150 cars. Crazy country.

So many high suvs and 4wheel drives because it floods all the time and you need to be able to get through it.

Fun tho.
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cookeetree
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Re: Who needs a car? Effecient transport from Indonesia.

Post by cookeetree »

I lived in Jakarta for 2 1/2 years, back in the late 80's. The "best" effort I saw was a family of SIX on a bike; two kids on the tank, Dad, another kid and then Mum, holding a baby.

The kids on the tank had helmets on.....




....plastic toy baseball helmets! :lol:
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Re: Who needs a car? Effecient transport from Indonesia.

Post by Madness »

Being a regular traveller to Bali and riding scooters over there, yes the traffic is mayhem and the number of people on given bike can be at times 4 or 5. I will say one thing, they have the best balance of bike riders i've ever seen. I look in amazement of how they manage to stay on the bikes sometimes.
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