Traffic And Parking Issues Around Bali’s Kuta Beach

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Local people in Kuta have raised concerns about the amount of traffic, and lack of available parking, around Kuta Beach. As tourists to Bali continue to increase, the roads around the island’s most popular beaches, like Kuta Beach, Seminyak, and Legian, are all experiencing increased congestion. 

Jalan Pantai Kuta has long experienced traffic jams. It has often been viewed as part and parcel of the area being one of South East Asia’s most popular beachside holiday resorts. However, locals have spoken with reporters in Bali to share their concerns that the traffic may cause damage to the tourism sector in the long run. 

One such concerned beachgoer is local Rosalina, aged 26. She told reporters that the access to the beach is too congested. She said, ‘Conditions like this are often encountered on weekends. Visitors who use cars can take up to an hour or more to arrive in Kuta’. She also expressed concern that much of the traffic appears to be caused by insufficient parking close to the beach. Due to this, taxis and other vehicles pull over in random parts of the road for passengers to jump out, causing a backlog of traffic behind. 

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She also noted that cars then appear to be parked, somewhat abandoned, along Jalan Pantai Kuta, in areas not designated for parking. She said, ‘Hopefully it will be maintained. Along the way there are no officers to regulate, all cars enter Jalan Pantai Kuta. There are even lots of cars parked on the side of the road. Yes, this car makes traffic jams worse’.

Responding to complaints, the Head of the Badung Regency Transportation Service, Aan Rai Yuda Dharma, told reporters that legal action would be taken against drivers who park their cars illegally in the area. He confirmed that his teams would coordinate with all stakeholders and ensure that illegal parking would be stamped out and traffic reduced. 

He told local reporters on Wednesday, 19th October, that ’to control illegal parking in Kuta, we have to coordinate with related institutions such as the police who have enforcement authority and institutions in the Kuta village such as LPM which manages parking there’.

When asked about whether ‘raids’ on illegally parked vehicles would be carried out, he did not deny that that would be an option available to his teams. When asked about whether these issues would be sorted before the G20 Summit in mid-November, he simply responded, ‘We will soon clear the path. The time is still coordinated again’.

The issue of traffic in Bali’s leading tourist destinations is a point of almost constant conversation with locals, long-term international residents, and holidaymakers. Bali’s Governor, Wayan Koster, issued firm statements earlier this month calling on residents to stop complaining about traffic jams on the island. 

Speaking at the Art Center in Denpasar, he told the audience that the traffic jams should be viewed as a positive sign that the tourism economy is bouncing back after the impacts of the pandemic and successive lockdowns. The Governor said, ‘It used to be quiet, we enjoyed traveling, now we are starting to complain [about the traffic]. Don’t complain because if it’s crowded, it means the economy is alive.’

Traffic has been building up across Bali this week in light of flooding across the island. On Monday, the busiest Gilimanuk to Denpasar transportation route was cut off as Biluk Poh Bridge in Jembrana collapsed due to flooding. The road remained impassable for nearly 48 hours though traffic can now flow through with caution. 

Flooding and landslides in central Ubud also caused traffic issues for locals and tourists. A landslide flooded the main high street in Ubud, Jalan Raya Ubud, on Tuesday 18th October. The disaster took a few hours to clear and blocked traffic between Camphuan and Jalan Bisma Ubud. 

Drivers are reminded to account for traffic and extra travel time in the coming days as weather warnings remain in place across Bali.