Traffic jams force people to alter daily routines

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

As traffic jams have become an everyday routine and there is no indication it will lessen, residents here have been forced to be "creative" in coping with the problem.

Traffic gridlock commonly occurs during morning and evening rush hour when about 2.5 million vehicles taking people to and from their houses and working places or schools are on the roads.

To avoid the traffic, many folks have to take care of their morning routines while driving from their home to their offices.

Many commuters go to their workplace early, causing a possibility of a lack of sleep, while the others will resort to leaving the office early, both of which result in a decrease in productivity.

Betty Meishara and her husband, who live in Tangerang, Banten, said that they move their dining and dressing rooms to their minivan. "So in the morning we only take a bath and then jump into our car by bringing all the things we need for the day," Betty told The Jakarta Post over the weekend.

She said she usually did her make-up in the car, including drying her hair with a hair dryer. They both have their breakfast in the car as well.

"We don't have time to dine or, for me, put on my make-up at home since we will be trapped in a heavy traffic jam even if we are late by only 10 minutes," she said, adding that she and her husband usually go to the office before six o'clock in the morning.

According to Betty, by leaving home earlier she can reach her office on Jl. Sudirman, Central Jakarta, in an hour, while her husband can arrive in two hours to his office in Srengseng Sawah, South Jakarta. If they are trapped in traffic, their travels could take more than two hours.

The employee of a private company added that every Monday and Friday they will leave home earlier than usual considering that traffic congestion during the two days are usually heavier than the other days.

Osta HG., a nurse in a private hospital in Central Jakarta, said that she hated being trapped in the traffic jams.

"Since I work mostly odd hours, I can go to my office and return to my home when the roads are quiet," she said, adding she usually works in the afternoon and night shifts. "But sometimes my family and I get trapped in traffic, when we go to supermarkets," she said.

"When we get caught in a traffic jam, we can listen to the radio, call our friends, read books or magazines... whatever to kill the time," she said. "But that's for people who have cars. Hahahaha. I cannot imagine how people traveling in those crowded buses kill their time stuck in traffic, which very often takes many hours."

Anita, a student of a state university in Depok, said that she and her family had grown accustomed to the condition of the traffic jams. "But we find a problem when we have an urgent need to use a toilet. Once after being trapped two hours in a traffic jam my mother had to urinate into a plastic bag while my brother looked on."

Separately, Budi Susetyo and his wife choose to travel from their house in Bintaro, South Jakarta, to their offices on Sudirman in Central Jakarta during rush hour at 6:30 a.m.

Budi employs a driver, enabling him to pass time by reading newspapers or drafting his company's letters, while his wife does her make-up. They also eat breakfast in their sedan and watch tv on the small set inside the car.

"Bintaro is well known for heavy traffic congestion. I don't want to waste my strength and emotion," he said, adding that from their house to their office could take 90 minutes.

"Nobody likes traffic jams. I don't know why the city administration allows it to happen without any action. But I think we have to do something to keep comfortable during the annoying times," he remarked.