Severe Traffic Jam in Lebak Bulus, Short Distances Can Take Up to 30 Minutes
JAKARTA – Traffic congestion in the Lebak Bulus area of South Jakarta is a frequent complaint from residents, occurring almost daily, especially during peak morning and evening hours. The heavy traffic density even causes short journeys to take up to several tens of minutes.
Anton (47), one of the road users, says he regularly passes through the area for his commute to and from work. He considers the congestion in Lebak Bulus to be a daily issue.
“Gosh, it happens every day. Especially during the evening rush hour; sometimes from the first intersection, you can wait 20–30 minutes,” said Anton when met at the location on Wednesday (18/3/2026).
“It’s worse than some points on TB Simatupang or Fatmawati because the intersections are stacked, there are many red lights, and lots of cars turning in and out of alleys,” he added.
He mentioned that the numerous nearby intersections and vehicles entering and exiting residential areas are the main causes of the congestion.
Anton also highlighted the discussions on social media about reducing traffic lights and building roundabouts. According to him, such measures must be carefully studied to avoid creating new problems.
“If it’s not studied properly, it could become chaotic. Cars turning into housing estates or motorbikes cutting in could cause accidents. So, there needs to be another engineering solution if the lights are to be reduced,” he said.
Similar complaints were voiced by a traffic warden at the location who declined to be named. He says he faces the congestion at that point every day.
“It’s every day. I usually help direct the stuck vehicles at the intersections around here,” he said.
“If it’s bad, it can take 15–20 minutes just to travel a few hundred metres,” he added.
Regarding the proposals for road design changes, he believes careful planning is needed to avoid worsening the situation.
“A large roundabout might work, but there needs to be enough space. If red lights are reduced, be careful; vehicles could collide. There need to be officers or engineering solutions for safety,” he said.
Kompas.com observations at the location showed disrupted traffic flow. Motorcycles were seen crowding the road while waiting at red lights.
Within a relatively short distance, there are three traffic light points regulating vehicle flow from various directions. Amid the density, an officer was observed manually directing traffic to help vehicles pass alternately.