Christmas and New Year are just around the corner. With upwards of one million tourists set to arrive in Bali over the festive season, transportation and security teams have a huge mission on their hands.
Here at The Bali Sun, we know just how hectic the festive season can feel in Bali, and we’re here to help you navigate the gridlock and enjoy all that this island has to offer.
Christmas and New Year are one of the busiest times of year in Bali. The island sees not only a huge influx of international arrivals but domestic tourists too. With many thousands of domestic travelers driving their own vehicles to Bali from Java.
This, alongside additional public transport services, can mean that Bali’s most congested roads feel even busier during late December and early January.
Tourist trading to Bali in the coming weeks will see more traffic officers out on patrol and more traffic mitigations put in place to help keep everyone moving.
The Denpasar City Transportation Agency has confirmed that it has already deployed personnel at several congestion-prone areas to anticipate a surge in traffic ahead of Christmas and New Year’s holidays. In Indonesia, Christmas and New Year are often referred to as Nataru, derived from the Indonesian ‘Natal’ and ‘Tahun Baru’.
Speaking to reporters, the Head of Denpasar Transportation Agency, I Ketut Sriawan, noted several points of concern, including in the Sanur resort area, Living World Denpasar, and a number of other shopping malls in Denpasar City.
Sriawan told reporters, “We have deployed a Christmas and New Year (Nataru) team at the activity center. Joint personnel from the Police, Sector Police, Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), Public Order Agency (Satpol PP), the Regional People’s Organizing Agency (Organda), and the Regional Development Planning Agency (BPTD) are all involved.”
There have also been a series of traffic management solutions put into place that may confuse some drivers, but have been implemented to help keep everyone moving safely. From now until the New Year, all U-turns on the Ngurah Rai Bypass are closed, requiring vehicles to turn around at the nearest traffic light.
Sriawan told reporters that all traffic light settings are closely monitored by the Bali Transportation Agency.
He cited improvements and strengthening of the Area Traffic Control System (ATCS) at the Titi Banda Statue Intersection as an example of the preventive efforts in place to keep traffic moving this festive season.
He explained, “ATCS can be operated from Simpang Tangtu and east of Titi Banda. We’ll arrange it in such a way to avoid long queues.”
For tourists, this should help mitigate traffic from Bali Airport towards the resorts of the central south like Kuta, Legian, and Seminyak, as well as around Sanur. It should also make it smoother for tourists to drive from resorts like Canggu, Ubud, Kuta, and Sanur to connect to the traffic network on the Bukit Peninsula, leading to Jimbaran and Uluwatu.
Sriwan also noted that in central Denpasar, around Living World Mall, a series of traffic management solutions has also been put in place. He explained, “When exiting Living, you should turn left east and enter Noja. But sometimes drivers turn around. So, we just need to monitor the traffic flow to ensure we don’t violate the traffic pattern.”
In terms of travel around Sanur Port, an area visited by thousands of travellers as they connect to fast boats serviced to the Nusa Islands, Gili Islands, and Lombok, Sriawan confirmed that traffic management efforts are also to be put in place.
He explained, “The volume of people crossing through Sanur is quite high, reaching 7,000. Therefore, we’re mitigating the volume reduction in Sanur by operating Mertasari Pier and Serangan Pier, which have a capacity of around 1,200 passengers. If it’s crowded, Mertasari Pier could be an option.”
Drivers heading to Sanur Harbour and Sanur beach resorts may be directed to park at the Mertsai Beach Parking area and make use of the electric shuttle bus service for the remainder of their journey.
Sriwan concluded, “We hope that with the security and synergy of this team, the public can celebrate the end of the year safely and comfortably.”
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