Traffic jams force people to alter daily routines

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.