A Comparison of Road Infrastructure in the UK and Indonesia from the Eyes of an Expatriate

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – Recently a foreign citizen (foreigner) of origin EnglishColm Downes, shared the story of his homecoming journey with his family from Jakarta to Rembang, Central Java.

In his Twitter upload, he looks amazed by road infrastructure in Indonesia, which has been considered lagging behind compared to foreign countries.

“Some people still think I live on a small undeveloped island. I should invite them to visit. They may be quite surprised,” Colm wrote.

To note, he started traveling on Wednesday (27/04/2022) or H-5 Eidand arrived home on Thursday (28/04/2022).

Read also: Homecoming Rituals and Indonesia’s Infrastructure Progress That Amazes British Citizens

Then make the return trip on Tuesday (02/05/2022) or D+1 Lebaran at 13.00 WIB, and arrive in Jakarta on Wednesday (03/05/2022) before 03.00 WIB.

The man who grew up in Suffolk said he was fascinated by toll road Jakarta-Cikampek II (Elevated) or MBZ Flyover which has a length of 36 kilometers.

“36 kilometers!! Further from Ipswich to Colchester (I grew up in Suffolk). The M4 Chiswick flyover in London is only 2 miles (5 kilometers),” he explained to Kompas.com.

In addition, Colm considers that the road conditions from Semarang to Jakarta are as good as most roads in the UK.

“But in England there are very few toll road more in France and Germany.”

However, according to him, most of the highways in the UK are free. Then the main highway has bridges and large tunnels.

Meanwhile, the use of electronic cards to pay tolls in Indonesia is more efficient than in the UK.

Read also: Another Record Set, Volume of Vehicles Returning 2022 on Toll Roads

Initially, payments were made in cash, but this has changed and become automatic where toll users will buy prepaid balances through the application.

“Another big difference is that in London, toll road users can pay congestion fees as well as carbon emission fees. These payments encourage people to use public transport,” concluded Colm.

Get updates news of choice and breaking news every day from Kompas.com. Let’s join the Telegram group “Kompas.com News Update”, how to click the link https://t.me/kompascomupdate, then join. You must first install the Telegram application on your cellphone.–