After years of taking this route and analyzing all possible
causes of temporary congestions as such, I have thought of two: cars hogging
the right (fast) lane, and trucks and buses hogging the middle lane.
Let’s start with the former, we’ve all seen this. It’s
probably safe to say there will always be a right lane hogger in the vast
Jakartan toll roads alone at any given time, may that be some chick on her
phone, or some grandpa trying to figure out where to take the next exit. If you’re
not overtaking, nor are you going above the speed limit, it would be really
cool if you’d just stay in the middle or left lane.
Now to the latter, the culprits who really grind my gear:
trucks and lorries. Look at them, probably feeling all high and mighty compared
to us puny cars, doing the bare minimum 60 km/h in the middle lane, leaving the
left lane empty for a while, until the occasional below-minimum speed truck
appears. It baffles me to think how these drivers don’t understand basic
instructions that say “Bus dan Truk tetap di lajur kiri.” Short, sweet, and
simple.
Combine these to together, and gradual, painful congestion
on the toll roads is what you get, especially on elevated sections, where all
these trucks tend to slow down and drop a gear in order to make the climb. So
regardless of what you drive and who you are, please, for the love of God, get
smart, stay in your designated lanes.