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With monsoon rains lashing down on Jakarta, the country’s capital city will be in for a rough time in the coming days. Public warnings have been issued that torrential rains and strong winds could knock down trees, damage buildings and cause flash flooding.

Jakarta residents got a taste of the havoc that the seasonal rains can cause on Friday when traffic came to a standstill across the city. Thousands of commuters were left stranded in drenching rain as a result, with many taking up to five hours to get home from work.

Such misery has become all too common over the past few years. Despite this, the city and national authorities have done little to mitigate the impact of the annual rainy season, and each year they have to scramble to respond. Given that Indonesia sits in the tropics and that torrential rains are to be expected, a little planning and better management could go a long way toward making life that much easier when the rains do come.

The government is currently working on a second flood canal to ease the flooding problem in the capital, but it will take time to complete. In the meantime, more could be done to dredge existing rivers to allow water to flow more smoothly to the sea.

To lessen congestion on roads, better traffic management is also urgently needed. Too often, traffic flow is poorly coordinated, while a lack of discipline on the part of car drivers, motorcyclists and buses causes unnecessary jams. Public bus drivers, in particular, must be forced to let off and pick up passengers only at designated bus stops. Fostering better discipline on the roads should be the No. 1 priority for transportation authorities.

Implementing a better road management system should also be placed at the top of the agenda. Traffic management is a science, and all too often very little thought is given to how traffic should flow to ease congestion. For example, studying traffic patterns can identify major traffic bottlenecks, which can be resolved by diverting traffic to other routes. One simple solution could be the synchronizing of the city’s traffic lights so that traffic can flow smoothly through heavily-congested areas.

The longer-term solution, however, is inescapable. Jakarta badly needs more roads, a modern public transportation system and better drainage. This will take time and money, but other major cities such as Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur have managed to solve their traffic headaches, so there is no reason why Jakarta cannot follow suit.

There is no denying that Jakarta needs a major infrastructure upgrade to prevent the disruption caused by the annual rainy season. It needs a coordinated approach to traffic management that incorporates road discipline, better traffic management, a modern public transportation system and more and better roads. This may be a tall order, but it is achievable.