Major Changes On Horizon For Traffic Flow In Bali’s Busiest Tourism Resort

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Leaders in Bali’s uber-popular vacation resort of Canggu have come together this week to discuss the biggest issue the community is facing: traffic.

Canggu’s traffic problem seems to be going from bad to worse and has become something of a laughing stock with both locals and international residents. It’s a kind of ‘if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry’ situation. But beneath any humor is a complete exasperation at this seemingly never-ending problem. 

During the Bali Police Traffic Directorate Coordination Meeting held on Wednesday, 9th January, the Badung Regency Government met with Canggu Traditional Village Leaders and local police.

Bali Police Traffic Director, Senior Commissioner Turmudi, told the media, “To overcome the traffic congestion problem in the Canggu area, we initiated discussions with the Badung Regency government and traditional leaders in the Canggu area.”

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Local media have described how the gridlock traffic jams have been ‘haunting’ motorists for years and that in recent weeks, the situation has seemingly felt like it has worsened.

Turmudi invited the Badung Public Works and Public House Service to the meeting, who were represented by the Secretary, Nyoman Kariasa, as well as the Badung Transportation Service who were represented by the Head of Traffic Division of the Badung Transportation Service, Wiryantara, in addition to the traditional leaders and community leaders of Canggu to discuss impactful solutions to the problem. 

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The meeting was also attended by the Head of the Traffic Unit of Badung Police, AKP I Wayan Sugianta, and the Head of North Kuta Police, AKP Yusuf Dwi Admodjo, and a range of solutions were offered.

The attendees discussed solutions that could be implemented for the short, medium, and long term. Solutions discussed included conducting traffic engineering at several key points around the resort area, implementing a one-way system, and increasing road capacity. 

Senior Commissioner Turmudi explained, “To overcome the traffic congestion problem in the Canggu area, we initiated a discussion with the Badung Regency government and the traditional authorities in the Canggu area. There were a lot of inputs. Several solutions were offered, one of which was to create traffic engineering at several points.”

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He added, “We have been conducting a survey for two days for engineered points. Next, the Transportation Agency and the Badung Police Traffic Unit will discuss with relevant stakeholders to determine which points.”

“Currently, what we can do is deploy a traffic jam relief team that goes around to the congestion points. We hope for support from the community so that all efforts made run well.”

The Secretary of the Public Works and Public Housing Department for Badung, Nyoman Kariasa, spoke to reporters after the meeting. He shared that as an initial step, the Badung Regency Government will maximize the capacity of existing roads by better maintaining their operational capacity.

Kariasa shared, “The road must be solid, meaning that there are no damaged or potholed roads. If there are potholes, it will hinder traffic flow and cause congestion. Those are the initial steps that we will take.”

The Head of Traffic Division of Badung Transportation Agency Wiryantara, shared a possible second set of solutions that can help tackle the congestion along the routes around Canggu.

He proposed restricting large vehicles like buses and trucks from using certain roads in the Canggu area. He used the example of the existing restrictions on large vehicles entering Canggu from the Seseh area. 

Wirayantara suggested, “From Tanah Lot, it should no longer be allowed to enter Canggu, so if there is a bus from Tanah Lot, it turns left or heads north. So in Canggu, no buses are allowed to enter.”

Leaders in Bali are already implementing a series of innovative solutions to the traffic congestion issues in Canggu, including developing sea taxi services. The new sea taxi services will operate between Bali Airport, Sanur, Seminyak, Kuta, Canggu, Benoa and Nusa Penida.

This new service is set to launch in early 2025 and comes in addition to sea taxi services already in operation from providers like GoBoat, who offer sea taxi transfers between popular resorts like Uluwatu and Canggu.