Pac-Man Zebra Crossing Controversy: Created by Frustrated Residents, Removed for Not Meeting Standards

A zebra crossing on Jalan Soepomo in Tebet, heading towards Pasar Minggu in South Jakarta, has drawn attention due to its artistic touch featuring illustrations of the Pac-Man game character.

Previously, the zebra crossing on that road was said to have disappeared since last year. The crossing lines were then repainted by a group of residents who felt uneasy about the situation.

However, not everyone approved of the coloured and illustrated zebra crossing. The government assessed that the multicoloured zebra crossing posed a potential danger to drivers, especially motorcyclists.

The project included road resurfacing up to the installation of barriers on the road median. After the project was completed, the zebra crossing had still not been repainted, even though many pedestrians cross in that area.

“Previously there was one, but it was covered by the resurfacing; it’s been almost a year,” said Faisal when met by Kompas.com at the location on Friday (27/3/2026).

This prompted a road activist, Ijoel, to take concrete action.

He admitted to frequently receiving complaints from residents via his social media about the absence of the zebra crossing.

Even a month earlier, he had seen social media content highlighting the missing zebra crossing.

Finally, in the early hours of Wednesday (26/3/2026), Ijoel took action with a graffiti artist, Kemas, to repaint the zebra crossing.

Kemas said that night he was suddenly invited by Ijoel, with the reason being to add an artistic touch to his small project.

Kemas also shared the same frustration about the zebra crossing. He immediately agreed and brought several cans of paint to the location with his partner.

“Actually, this stemmed from frustration because the zebra crossing was gone,” said Kemas when contacted by Kompas.com on Friday (27/3/2026).

The Pac-Man game character was chosen by Kemas on the spot after browsing Pinterest on social media.