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