Mataram Bypass Road Congestion Prompts City and NTB Provincial Governments to Study Traffic Changes

The Mataram City Government and the West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Provincial Government plan to study traffic-management measures on the Mataram Bypass. The move is intended to tackle congestion that has recently occurred frequently and lasted for hours.

Several members of the Mataram Transport Agency’s Control and Operations Division visited the site on Sunday (11 October 2026) to ease traffic build-ups on the road. The inspection will continue with the NTB Transport Agency.

“There was congestion yesterday, and our colleagues from the agency’s control and operations division have been there. We have also added personnel. Today, Monday, we will go there with the provincial transport agency so we can see directly what the problem is,” Mataram Transport Agency head Zulkarwin said when contacted on Monday (12 October 2026).

Zulkarwin suspects the increase in the number of vehicles using the road is the main cause of the congestion, given that the area is on a provincial road connected to city roads. Coordination between government agencies is therefore crucial.

However, Zulkarwin stressed that traffic changes cannot be introduced immediately. A comprehensive technical assessment, calculations of vehicle volumes and the collection of field data are needed before a new scheme can be adopted.

“Traffic changes require an assessment and data, which must then be brought to the traffic forum. That is the procedure before any changes can be approved. That is why we will look at and count the vehicle volumes, and determine the main cause of the congestion there,” Zulkarwin explained.