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In an average week, how many times do you find yourself cursing Jakarta for trapping you in yet another traffic jam? Whatever the number, everybody can probably agree it’s far too often. Every day, the capital’s commuters have little choice but to throw themselves at the mercy of the city’s congested streets.

As if the massive number of vehicles on the roads was not bad enough, Jakartans have to deal with unpredictable weather as well. Even a quick rainstorm can cause flooding thanks to the city’s poor drainage system, bringing the streets to a standstill.

A 2007 study by the environmental nongovernmental organization Yayasan Pelangi Indonesia found the capital’s traffic delays cost the city around $3.5 billion a year in lost productivity and extra fuel costs.

The study predicted that if current trends continued without any action on the part of the government, Jakarta’s traffic would come to a complete standstill by 2014.

But what can a commuter do? The public transportation system is in dire need of an overhaul, leaving people with little choice but to use private vehicles.

While a mass public transportation system may still be a long way off, the good news is that over the past few years technology has also given residents a number of new ways to monitor traffic in real time.

Both the police and citizens are using new communication methods to broadcast information about traffic conditions in every corner of the city. Commuters no longer have to watch TV or listen to the radio to get traffic reports.

Instead, they can now get up-to-date information on the Internet.

First things first — it is all a lot easier if you have an active Twitter account.

Not only can you access traffic reports, but also current traffic information posted by other users on the micro-blogging platform.

The official police source for Jakarta traffic is the traffic monitoring center TMC Polda Metro.

 Since their official launch in March 2010, the city traffic police have been doing an excellent job in managing their Web sites and social media platforms.

Not only do they provide round-the-clock updates, but they also respond to questions from users who ask about traffic conditions.

“TMC’s Twitter updates are really handy,” said Cibubur resident Agustinus Rendy, who works on Jalan Sudirman.

“TMC also has a segment on the MetroTV news channel, but I can’t wait till it comes out or I will be late for work.”

Another TMC enthusiast, Ardi, from Kalisari, East Jakarta, often posts traffic information on the Web site.

“I used to contribute to a radio traffic update program but it’s not practical anymore since we need to have communication equipment installed in our vehicles,” he said.

The police also keep the public up to date about Jakarta’s traffic through frequent updates on Twitter, especially during peak traffic hours in the morning and afternoon.

Twitter followers not only get regular and timely traffic updates, but are also notified of any major events taking place in Jakarta.

The public can now find out about demonstrations, riots, accidents and disasters so they know to avoid a particular area.

On their traffic monitoring Web site, the police also provide a useful map that highlights areas of Jakarta prone to floods, accidents, crime and traffic jams.

A complete list of bus routes and numbers is also provided.

If you are new to Jakarta, this is one of the Web sites that you simply must check out.

Unfortunately, it is not yet available in English.

To get great closed-circuit television (CCTV) coverage of Jakarta’s traffic, check out LewatMana.com. Having installed a number of CCTV cameras on buildings around the capital, LewatMana.com is your eye in the sky for monitoring the streets.

LewatMana also covers residential areas such as Kelapa Gading, Jatibening and Mampang.

The live traffic cameras can also be accessed through your smartphone, but only for Telkomsel 3G subscribers.

However, any mobile phone users can access the LewatMana Web site and get instant traffic updates.

The Web site features a map of Jakarta marked with three colors.

Red indicates a high level of traffic, purple indicates moderate traffic and green means that the street is relatively traffic free.

In addition to Jakarta, LewatMana also covers Bali, Bekasi, Depok, Bogor and Tangerang.

It is currently the most comprehensive Web site reporting on Jakarta’s traffic, with additional information about gas stations, taxi centers and car services.

For useful user-generated information, check out infolalulintas.com. Popularly known as Infoll, the site has also developed an application for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

Infoll’s strength is that it is extremely user-friendly, with an installed search engine making it easy to find information about any location.

You just have to type in the name of an area and click “go.” Infoll classifies traffic reports into four categories: “Smooth,” “Mild,” “Medium” and “Heavy.”

If you ask for information about the traffic in a particular area, the Web site will slot this under a category called “Requests” for you to access again later.

BlackBerry users can also download the Info Mudik (iMUD) application. Although initially designed to assist Jakartans navigating the traffic as they returned to their hometowns for the Idul Fitri holiday at the end of Ramadan, the application now provides a complete CCTV view of Jakarta’s busiest locations, such as Cawang, Grogol, Kuningan, Pancoran, Pejompongan, Semanggi and Tomang. It is a perfect application for commuters because it also covers the Greater Jakarta area, including Cikampek, Tangerang and Cipularang.

Last but not least, the city government also has traffic reports on its Web site, Jendela Jakarta, covering a limited area in range of the city’s CCTV cameras. We can only hope this is a sign that more will be done to alleviate Jakarta’s traffic problems.


TMC Polda Metro http://www.tmcmetro.com or follow  @TMCPoldaMetro on Twitter 

LewatMana http://lewatmana.com or  http://m.lewatmana.com on mobile phone or follow @lewatmana on Twitter  

infolalulintas (Infoll) http://infolalulintas.com or follow  @infoll on Twitter 

Info Mudik (iMUD) download at http://bb.the4id.com/imud  Jendela Jakarta http://www.jendelajakarta.com