Torrential rain brings traffic woes

Torrential rain brings traffic woes

Torrential rain swamped many parts of the capital on Wednesday.
The downpour that started at 2:30 p.m. caused heavy traffic jams
in a number of streets in the city, including the main
thoroughfares Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Thamrin. A motorist on his
bicycle (photo above) tries to zip through a flooded Jl.
Pejompongan in Central Jakarta. Many motorists avoided the
flooded roads amid fears their cars would not be able to navigate
the waters. Traffic jams also occurred on the Jakarta-Cikampek
toll road, the Pluit toll road and the Cikarang toll road. The
traffic was not only a nightmare for private motorists but also
would-be passengers of public transportation buses. Many workers
were left stranded at bus stops, forcing them to walk in the
rain. The rain is expected to intensify in January, 2003.

R. Berto Wedhatama