Roads in Bali: Keep your eyes peeled

Learning to ride a motorbike in Bali, is also a crash course in Balinese road design. My neighborhood particularly, Seminyak, has been massively affected by road construction for several months. Things are looking up though, after the new storm drains were put in, parts of Jl. Seminyak, at least the part south of Jl. Double Six, have been resurfaced. Here’s how the problems with the road start. The underlying ground is sometimes unstable. A layer of tarmac is dumped on top and flattened, giving the illusion things are normal. After wind, rain, intense heat and traffic have had their say, the road cracks. A great example of this was the road to Canggu, where the outside edges of the road, either side of the white line, sloped downwards at an angle. Add to that, the slopes themsleves developed longitudinal bumps about a meter across. The result was a sloping, bumpy road that motorbikes were forced to use, when being overtaken by a car or truck. At high speed, it was always touch and go.

The road to Canggu is now resurfaced and is a joy to ride on. Another road that has been transformed, is Jl. Nakula, across from Jl. Double Six. The closest thing to its former look was the surface of the moon, with craters and rubble spread everywhere. Now it too, enjoys a new flat black profile. Coming back from Kewetel the other day, I stopped to snap a section of re-surfaced highway.

For a motorbike rider, there are some extra things to look out for in Bali. These include potholes, which can appear unexpectedly from between the rear wheels of the car in front. From personal experience, I can tell you that the moment you look away from the road to admire the view, you’ll hit a pothole.

Dogs are a constant menace, particularly if there are more than one of them. I give them a wide birth and honk from a distance if I think they might try to cross my path. Falling rocks and stones are a hazard because so many dump trucks are on the roads. All it takes is a small stone to go under your front wheel and things get exciting. I’ve seen cricket ball sized rocks in the middle of the Bypass, dropped by some truck.

The other day coming back from Tanah Lot, potholes were looking like puddles, making it hard to gauge their depth. Rounding corners its important to keep an eye on the gravel build up. Never brake or downshift on gravel, just steer through it. The most recent events in Kuta / Seminyak’s traffic system are the road construction at Jl. Melasti and Jl. Legian, and the work on Jl. Double Six. Both involve large earth moving equipment and require riders to pass when the bucket or cab isn’t going to take their head off. Great stuff, and its good to see Bali improving, even if it is inconvenient for a short time.