Complaints Mount Over Stick Cone Installation in Rawa Buntu, Worsening Traffic Jams

The installation of stick cones, or road dividers, on Jalan Raya Rawa Buntu in Serpong, South Tangerang, has drawn complaints from motorists. The dividers are considered to have worsened traffic congestion on the road, especially during peak hours. The stick cones were installed after the U-turn point heading towards the Serpong Toll Road and the ITC BSD area. The dividers stretch for tens of metres, passing the access point to Rawa Buntu Station. A motorist, Toni, said the traffic flow has become more congested since the installation. “It’s become more jammed. This morning it was really jammed,” Toni said on Tuesday (14/7). According to Toni, he does not yet know the exact purpose of the stick cone installation. However, he suspects the dividers were installed to prevent vehicles from turning directly towards Rawa Buntu Station after making a U-turn. Nevertheless, he assessed that the policy has not been effective in easing traffic flow because vehicle queues still occur. He argued that handling congestion should not only rely on installing road dividers but should also include controlling public minivans (angkot) that often stop or wait for passengers around the location. “It shouldn’t just be installing these, but the angkot that park there should also be tidied up,” he said. Meanwhile, South Tangerang City Council Commission IV member Julham Firdaus has requested that the stick cones on Jalan Raya Rawa Buntu be temporarily removed. The request was made after he directly inspected the traffic conditions at the location and concluded that the dividers were worsening the congestion. Julham said he monitored the traffic flow in the area from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Western Indonesia Time. Based on his observations, the queue of vehicles was continuous without a break. “I reviewed it directly from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., the traffic jam was unbroken,” Julham said on Wednesday (15/7). According to Julham, the installation of the stick cones has also narrowed the lane at the U-turn point, making it difficult for vehicles to manoeuvre. He requested that the road dividers be opened temporarily while an evaluation of the traffic engineering in the area is conducted. “Open it today. I am directly asking for it to be opened so we can monitor first how the dispersal goes. So, at the turning point, when vehicles turn, the lane should not narrow, it should widen,” he said. In addition to requesting the temporary removal, Commission IV of the South Tangerang DPRD plans to summon the City Transportation Agency (Dishub) to seek an explanation regarding the basis for installing the stick cones on Jalan Raya Rawa Buntu. Julham said his party will discuss the issue in a coordination meeting with Dishub to find a more effective solution to ease traffic congestion in the area. There has been no official statement from the relevant authorities regarding the purpose or evaluation of the stick cone installation on Jalan Raya Rawa Buntu.