Bali’s transportation infrastructure is on a collision course with itself. The more people, the more cars and motorbikes, creating more traffic, meaning slower travel speeds. The ‘Association of the Indonesian Tours & Travel Agencies’ Bali chapter, reckons a monorail system for the southern area of Bali is a the answer. Jakarta has started building a monorail system, like Bangkok. This subject is one I’ve touched on before.
Having lived in Seminyak for 4.5 years, I’ve got a pretty good idea of what the traffic is like here. A trip to Kuta should not take much longer than 10-15 minutes. There are some hell trips though, including the Bypass to Nusa Dua after dark, Denpasar at night, Jl. Raya Kerobokan during rush hour etc. At those times its crazy, with traffic density at dangerously high levels and people’s patience strained.
My 3 step plan for Bali’s transportation system featured an elevated light railway / monorail, electric buses and horse & buggies.
Here’s more from the Jakarta Post.
The great thing about an elevated light railway is you can route it over existing buildings, no matter how dense the layout, thereby minimizing travel times. A while back I was in Las Vegas, which also has a very handy elevated monorail system on the Strip.
Whenever I got on road trips the first and last hour are always the worst. Trying to get out of the Kuta / Seminyak / Sanur / Kerobokan / Denpasar area is a pain. After that I often have a choice of routes, depending on where I’m going and can enjoy quieter roads. To help the Balinese get over the problem of building structures over the height of a temple, the monorail company could donate a fixed sum to each local banjar it passed through. I’m sure increased revenue would make that problem melt away.
