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Bali Tips
Bali Info
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Driving In Bali
Driving as a tourist
Tourists often comment that the roads in Bali seem a madhouse, and this frightens people away from driving. Most local people in Bali have never had a driving lesson. They don't need to, as you can get your driving license without taking a test (but it's cheaper if they take the test). The road skills people have are earned by ploughing headfirst into traffic, and muscling their way through, like everyone else is doing. This can be a hard concept to learn, putting the western idea of 'road rules' aside, and taking up a 'law of the jungle' approach, but that's how it is.
Road conditions in Bali
Road conditions in Bali vary greatly, from the silky smooth tarmac in Nusa Dua, to the 'craters of the moon' condition of some of the minor roads in the highlands. The environment in Bali , with intense heat, followed by torrential rain and high traffic, mean the roads get torn up fast. Potholes develop, even on major roads like Jl. Legian and the Bypass. For a person driving a car, these can give you a nasty jolt. For a motorcyclist, it can mean an accident. Coming around a blind corner too fast and having to avoid a large pothole, while simultaneously missing the oncoming car, can be a scary experience. Tailgating a car is also dangerous, as a pothole can appear from under its rear bumper, giving you a split second to react.
Once in a while you will see a large rock, or a tree branch sticking out from the side of the road. This is a warning, that you should keep a wide berth. Drivers and highway patrol in Bali , don't have reflective triangles, or emergency flares. Part of a tree with a strip of cloth, or even a bucket full of rocks, serves a danger marker.
All big towns in Bali have traffic lights, where needed. There are no special rules involved in their use. Americans are used to being able to turn on a red light, after stopping. That's not the case here unless you spot a turn signal, which is designed to allow a turn. Balinese drivers will often turn on a red light themselves.
Speeding
There might be speed limits in Bali , but nobody we know pays any attention. The police hang out at intersections, where the traffic is stopped, so the rest of the road is yours. If you do get waved over by a roadside cop, keep going. Police here do no have radar guns so have no way to tell what your speed is.
Driving Drunk
While never a good idea, driving drunk is popular with many expats. Police have no breath tester or way to measure your alcohol consumption, so you'll never get pulled over for being drunk. Of course your insurance company won't cover any personal damage and if renting a car or motor bike your responsible for the full 100% and have to dig deep in your pocket!
The police
Not having a license, may get you an on the spot fine, of 30,000rp or greater. The cops want an instant payoff, and have no desire for you to go to court, as. If you produce your wallet and it only has 10,000rp in it, they might let you go with that.
Maps
Getting a map is a very good idea. There is a Bali Road Atlas, but for short term tourists, a simple map by Periplus will do. It will show, Primary, Secondary and minor roads, enabling you to be creative in your route selection. Bear in mind some maps will show a road going straight through a town, where in actuality, it will be a T-junction or a multi choice junction, often unmarked.
Navigation
Bali is a small island with mountains in the middle. If you are in the Kuta part of the island and get lost, remember downhill is usually toward the ocean (south), uphill towards the mountains (north). This is very useful on the longer roads around Ubud etc. where you can get lost. On the north coast it's reversed of course.
In the southern part of Bali the geography dictates that roads follow ridge lines going north - south. There are plenty of ways to get to Ubud, Kintamani and other places on an N-S axis. Going east- west is more difficult, and means you will have to cut off of the main road, sometimes taking a windy local minor road. This can actually be the most rewarding part of a journey.
Night driving
Night driving is okay in a car, though not so recommended on a motorbike. You just can't see the potholes as well at night, and there are more drunk drivers. In a car watch out for people crossing the street, and steeping out into the road from underneath dark places, like tall trees.
Headlights
You turn on your headlights after dark but you will see that many cars or bikes driving around without headlights on at all. It is also quite common to turn lights on more than 1 hour after sunset, the Indonesians think to safe battery power with this. Now those days the police is promoting to turn on your motor bike headlights during the day for a better visibility.
Accidents
As a foreigner, accidents will almost always be your fault according to locals. Whenever there is an accident, other traffic will pull over to watch the proceedings. The local driver will be telling them you caused the accident, and sooner of later will demand money. That demand will go up, as the crowd gets bigger. The police will likely back up the local, and might ask for money too. Best strategy is hand over money as soon as it happens, and leave, regardless of who caused the fender bender. It's easier to drive away when it's only you and the other driver, than when there are 50 locals around. Of course if you have a minor accident and are able to keep going, that is always the best strategy, even with the cops. Just say you didn't realize.
Parking
Street side parking is the way they do it in Bali . Space is sometimes hard to find and you might have to pull a move you might not try at home. For example, a shop might have a 2 car driveway right off of the main road. Using this will necessitate backing out into traffic at some later time. Very often there will be a Parkirman, (parking attendant) with a whistle and red baton, ready to stop traffic for you. Supermarkets have these as well as some better restaurants and hotels.
Driving styles
.Intersections
Balinese / Indonesian drivers do things a little differently at intersections. Whereas in the west, we are taught to wait our turn, pull into the middle of the intersection and execute a turn, over here many people cut across to the oncoming lane, going head on to traffic, before switching lanes at an opportune moment. They think this is a smart and sensible way to drive, as it saves a few seconds. The problem with this is puts you in a head-on situation, and forces you to cut across traffic in the lane you are trying to get back into. This tactic is used mostly by motorbikes, but if you are a tourist and plan to rent a car, it's good to know what to expect.
.Main road junction
Another favorite is the main road and junction tactic. Whereas in the west, we are taught to make our turn onto a main road, arrive at a turn, and maneuver into it, locals here will come out onto the main road, and go directly at the turn which is 50 yards down the street. Once again this saves 5 seconds, but puts them head on with other traffic. Again this is a tactic used mostly by motorbikes, but the occasional aggressive car driver might try it.
.Pulling out from the curb
Finally, there is the pull out from a side street going straight. Balinese drivers for the most part, will not look or indicate when pulling out from the curb, or from a side street. They will maintain speed and hook a sharp turn, expecting the cars behind to miss them. As long as they hug the curb its okay, but some start to stray into the other lane after about 10 meters.
.Only worry about what is in front of you
A basic rule of driving in Bali is 'only worry about what is in front of you'. People expect you to avoid their mistakes, and you will be blamed if they pull out and you hit them.
.Tail gaiting
Many people tail gate in Bali . If there is an accident, the driver of the front vehicle will be blamed as he 'caused the accident' (unless you are a foreigner, in which case he'll say 'Why you crash me?").
.Using the horn
Everybody uses the horn, not to vent anger, but to let others know their presence. You may actually be asked 'Why you not use horn?' if there is an accident and you didn't honk. When honking, just use a quick honk, not an 'in your face' belt.
To enjoy driving in Bali you have to be relaxed. Traffic is dense, but people are nice. Don't stress at traffic jams, take it easy and know that in 20 minutes you'll be off to where you are going. Speeds in Bali often don't get above 40kmh, so it casual driving and does not take long to figure out.
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