Complaints Mount Over Stick Cone Installation in Rawa Buntu, Worsening Traffic Jams
The installation of stick cones, or road barriers, on Jalan Raya Rawa Buntu in Serpong, South Tangerang, has drawn complaints from a number of motorists.
The presence of the barriers is considered to have worsened congestion along the road, particularly during rush hour.
The stick cones were installed after the U-turn point leading to the Serpong toll road access and the ITC BSD area. The barriers stretch for tens of metres, passing the entrance to Rawa Buntu Station.
One motorist, Toni, said traffic flow had become denser since the barriers were installed.
“It’s made it even more congested. This morning it was really bad,” said Toni on Tuesday (14 July).
According to Toni, he does not yet know the exact purpose of the stick cones. However, he suspects the barriers were put in place to prevent vehicles from turning directly towards Rawa Buntu Station after making a U-turn.
Even so, he believes the policy has not been effective in easing traffic density, as vehicle queues still occur.
In his view, tackling congestion should not rely solely on installing road barriers, but should also be accompanied by action against public minivans (angkot) that frequently stop or wait for passengers around the location.
“They shouldn’t just install those things, they should also sort out the angkots that park indiscriminately,” he said.
Meanwhile, Julham Firdaus, a member of Commission IV of the South Tangerang City Council, has called for the road barriers (stick cones) on Jalan Raya Rawa Buntu in Serpong to be temporarily dismantled.
The request was made after he inspected traffic conditions at the site directly and concluded that the barriers had actually worsened congestion.
Julham said he monitored traffic flow in the area from 07:00 to 09:00 Western Indonesia Time (WIB). Based on his observations, vehicle queues occurred continuously without interruption.
“I inspected it directly from 07:00 to 09:00, and the congestion never let up,” said Julham on Wednesday (15 July).
According to Julham, the installation of the stick cones has also narrowed the lanes at the U-turn point, making it more difficult for vehicles to manoeuvre.
He therefore requested that the road barriers be opened temporarily while an evaluation of the traffic engineering in the area is carried out.
“Just open it today. I’m asking for it to be opened straight away so we can observe how the flow resolves. When it comes to turning, when a vehicle turns, the lane shouldn’t get narrower, it should get wider,” he said.
In addition to requesting the temporary dismantling of the barriers, Commission IV of the South Tangerang City Council plans to summon the South Tangerang City Transportation Agency (Dishub) to ask for an explanation regarding the basis for installing the stick cones on Jalan Raya Rawa Buntu.
Julham said the council would discuss the matter in a coordination meeting with Dishub to find a solution considered more effective in easing traffic density in the area.
To date, there has been no official statement from the relevant parties regarding the purpose or evaluation of the stick cone installation on Jalan Raya Rawa Buntu.