Indonesia President Joko Widodo was on his way to attend a military parade but after being stuck in a bad traffic jam for 30 minutes, he decided to step out of the car and travel by foot.
It was an important ceremony as it marked the 72nd anniversary of the Indonesian military’s founding.
Widodo and senior government officials were caught by gridlock as they were on their way to the military parade in Cilegon, which is two and a half hours drive from Jakarta.
After waiting for 30 minutes, he decided in the car that travelling by foot might be more efficient.
Spectators were yelling and chanting his name as he was walking on the streets accompanied by his security personnels.
Here’s what President Jokowi posted on his Facebook (translated in English):
“The anniversary of the 72nd Anniversary of the Indonesian Armed Forces at a jetty in Cilegon City, Banten, today October 5, 2017 is so festive. The road to the location is crowded by vehicles and the public. Two kilometers before the ceremony, our vehicle was stuck in traffic. What can make it, I decided to get out of the car and walk. The President walks, the others follow.
Photo: Press Bureau of the Presidential Decree”
According to the Global Traffic Scorecard survey, Thailand leads with the highest average hours spent in peak congestion (61 hours) last year, followed by Colombia and Indonesia (47 hours).
If you think Bangkok jam is bad enough, the traffic in Jakarta will scare you too.
Every day, three and a half million people commute into the city from the wider metropolitan area of Greater Jakarta by car.
However, during rush hours like 5am to 8am and 5pm to 8pm, the cars are motionless.
Some netizens were full of praise for President Jokowi for leading by example and being the people’s President.
However, not all were equally impressed.
Twitter user @Pujithegooners questioned why the President was not given the privilege of vacating the road of travelling by helicopter. This sentiment was echoed by a few others on President Jokowi’s Facebook page.
Though motorists frequently complain about the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) charges in Singapore, ERP helps to keep traffic speeds reasonable in the city area.
Singapore was ranked 45th in a global index of 174 cities which measures the severity of traffic congestion on roads during peak hours.
The traffic in Singapore is also ranked better than other populous cities like New York, London, Shanghai and Beijing.
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