Traffic jams hit Bogor

Traffic jams hit Bogor

JAKARTA (JP): Traffic came to a standstill on Bogor's main roads yesterday as hundreds of vehicles queued near city hall to collect relatives returning from the haj pilgrimage in Mecca.

Many vehicles were trapped in the main jam for hours, Antara reported, while many smaller roads were also packed with vehicles.

The situation was exacerbated by the fact that most of the family members, awaiting the returning pilgrims since yesterday morning, had not been allowed to enter the city hall building. As a result thousands of pedestrians mingled with the hundreds of vehicles in the streets near the hall.

The deployment of additional police to direct the traffic around the collection point proved insufficient to prevent the traffic jam. Many drivers reportedly drove their cars recklessly, ignoring police officers' instructions.

Pedestrians watched the arrivals from the road and crossed it without regard to crossing zones, thereby adding to the chaos.

Blame for the mayhem was placed on the Bogor city administration's selection of the arrival point in the center of the town.

"If they'd selected another place, the traffic jam might have been avoided," said one official of the city administration who requested anonymity. (yns)