Jakarta Transport Department to Review Safety Following Big Bike Accidents in Senayan

An accident involving a large-capacity motorcycle (moge) and another motorcyclist occurred on Jalan Asia Afrika, in the Senayan area of Central Jakarta, last weekend.

In the last three months, at least two accidents involving large motorcycles with casualties have occurred in that area during the weekend. It is suspected that the riders are part of the Saturday Morning Ride (Satmymori) or Sunday Morning Ride (Sunmori) activities on the long, straight stretch of road spanning 1.5 kilometres west of the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) complex.

It is known that every weekend, on Saturday and Sunday mornings, the area is crowded with motorcycle enthusiasts gathering.

Responding to the casualty-causing accident last weekend, the Head of the Jakarta Transport Department, Budi Awaluddin, admitted that his department will conduct a further review. “Yes, we will review that matter later,” Budi said when met by journalists in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, on Tuesday (29/9).

For information, between July and September alone, at least two accidents involving large motorcycles were recorded on this highway. The most recent incident occurred last Saturday (26/9), involving a Kawasaki ER650E and a Honda Beat in front of Plaza Senayan, Jalan Asia Afrika.

Sub-division Head of Traffic Law Enforcement of Metro Jaya Police, Kompol Kharisma Arbita Bangsa, stated that the accident between the two motorcycles occurred around 07:30 WIB. The accident resulted in three injuries.

“The accident involved two motorcycles. Three people were reported injured and have been evacuated to RSAL Mintoharjo for medical treatment,” said Kharisma on Saturday (26/9).

The incident occurred when a Honda Beat, ridden by HS (64), was travelling from the south and attempted to make a U-turn in front of Plaza Senayan. At the time, HS, who works as an online taxi driver, was also carrying a passenger, SAPW (2ly).

Meanwhile, travelling from north to south, the Kawasaki ER650E, ridden by DES (15), was allegedly travelling at high speed. “The Kawasaki rider is suspected of speeding, making it impossible to avoid the Honda Beat that was performing a U-turn. The collision was unavoidable,” he explained.

Footage from the aftermath, showing the online taxi driver and his passenger lying on the road, went viral on social media.

An incident involving a large motorcycle on Jalan Asia Afrika also occurred in July. In a viral video, an accident occurred between a red Ducati and a Yamaha NMAX on Jalan Asia Afrika, reported on Sunday (26/7) morning. The video showed the aftermath, with the red motorcycle lying in the middle of the road emitting smoke. The rider and a security guard struggled to upright the motorcycle, while bystanders were seen helping a small child who appeared to be a victim, crying on the pavement with injured legs.

In both incidents, netizens commented on the high number of large-capacity motorcycle users riding at high speeds around Jalan Asia Afrika, particularly on weekend mornings. Accidents become increasingly risky when high-speed riders encounter other road users attempting U-turns or stopping at red lights at the Asia-Afrika and Jalan Pintu Satu Senayan intersections, or at pedestrian crossings in front of Senayan City-Plaza Senayan.

This road, frequently used for Satmori and Sunmori, has historically been criticised as a location for illegal street racing. Not only motorcycles, but cars also use this wide, relatively empty stretch of road for speed contests, especially on weekends and at night.

Police have previously conducted joint operations against illegal racing. For instance, in 2015, joint TNI and Polri officers raided several vehicles at the illegal racing site on Jalan Asia Afrika. However, the habit of Satmori and Sunmori on Jalan Asia Afrika appears to have persisted for quite some time.

In an official Instagram post by @tmcpoldametro on Sunday, 27 May 2018, the Police announced they had taken action against riders suspected of illegal racing on Jalan Asia Afrika. Although the Police referred to them as illegal racers, many comments suggested they were participating in Sunmori.

Furthermore, during the ‘Operasi Patuh Jaya’ held in mid-July 2025, Metro Jaya Police detained dozens of large motorcycles suspected of violations during Satmori or Sunmori activities. “On Saturday, we also carried out enforcement on many large-capacity vehicles, such as large-capacity sports bikes that also tended not to use registration plates (TNKB),” said the Director of Traffic of Metro Jaya Police, Kombes Komarudin, to journalists on Monday (14/7/2025).

“About 30 were processed around Monas, around Bundaran HI, including yesterday around Plaza Senayan and Senayan City, where we also conducted enforcement,” Komarudin added.

Komarudin urged riders to drive in compliance with existing regulations. “Please use the vehicles you own, but obey the applicable regulations. Public compliance is more than enough to minimise transportation or traffic problems in Jakarta,” Komarudin added.