Motorists willing to risk all to get through railway crossings

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The train signal rang loudly and the railway gate arm descended slowly as two trains coming from opposite directions on different tracks appeared in the distance. The railway crossing guard blew his whistle, but many motorists chose to ignore him and the signals as they rushed across the tracks.

At the last minute, several drivers slammed on their brakes, which almost caused the motorists behind them to crash into the rear of their vehicles. Luckily, all were able to stop in time.

The roof of two cars at the front of the line on either side of the guard were damaged by the descent of the wooden arm. The drivers were unable to reverse their cars because of the waiting line of vehicles behind them.

The trains passed and everyone was relieved. But one of the drivers was upset.

"Hey, keep your eyes open," he shouted to the guard as he gestured to the scratch on the roof of his car caused by the wooden gate arm.

The small incident happened on Tuesday morning at the railroad crossing on Jl. KH Mansyur in Central Jakarta, but it could have happened at any railway crossing at anytime.

"It's very stressful to cope with such ignorant people. They neglect the traffic signals and risk their own life by doing so. They even yelled at me," said Suratman, who is 45 years of age.

Suratman, who has been working as a guard at the railroad crossing on Jl. KH Mansyur since 1980, said that many motorists blamed him when their cars were damaged by the gate arm. In many cases, some impatient motorists ran their vehicles through the wooden barrier. In other cases, cars were crushed by the passing train.

The city police information center reported that in February alone there were 15 incidents at railway crossings across Greater Jakarta, resulting in a loss of 13 lives. In January, 11 people were killed by passing trains.

In the latest incident on Sunday evening, a young couple, Sulistiyono, 20, and Tati, 20, were killed by a train on Jl. Percetakan Negara in the Johar Baru subdistrict of Central Jakarta. They were sitting on the tracks when the train hit them.

Earlier this year, another couple, Asrofi, 48 and Siti Aisah, 40, from Marunda, Cilincing in North Jakarta, were killed after their motorcycle was hit by a passing train. They were on their way home after shopping at Mangga Dua market in West Jakarta.

Law No. 13/1992, Article 16, on railways states that motorists and pedestrians must stop and yield to passing trains.

There are two guards on duty at every post. One operates the alarm bell and automatic gate, while the other ensures that the automatic gate is working and that motorists do not attempt to cross the railroad.

A guard at the Palmerah railway crossing in West Jakarta, Maruli, also complained about the motorists and pedestrians who refused to obey the warning signals despite the bell and lowered gate.

He also said that many incidents occurred at unauthorized crossings along the railroad. There are unauthorized crossings as many fences on both sides of the railroad are broken, such as the one on Jl. Tegalan in East Jakarta.

Mirsyad, an unofficial guard at the gate, said he worked voluntarily for a penny and helped warn those who wished to cross the railroad.

Mirsyad said he earned Rp 20,000 a day from motorists or pedestrians crossing the tracks, usually from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Some fences are broken about every 30 meters, allowing locals to cross the railroad. No signals are visible to warn the pedestrians of approaching trains.

"We cross here because it is the nearest way to reach the market," said Astrid, a resident of Kayu Manis in East Jakarta, who shops at Palmeriam on the other side of the railroad.