Cipali Toll Operator Urged to Redesign Road Separator

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Head of Land Transportation Organization (Organda) Kurnia Lesani Adnan, urged Cipali toll road operator company Lintas Marga Sedaya (LMS) to improve the road separator along the toll road. The notion was made following numerous traffic accidents, including the most recent crash on Monday, June 17, 2019.

"The road median is similar to road separator. So, of course, the safety factor must be maintained," said Lesani when contacted by Tempo on Monday, June 17, 2019.

Lesani stated that the road separator should be able to keep vehicles to stay in their intended lane. Therefore, a proper separator should minimize cases of vehicles entering opposite lanes.

He added that Organda had constantly warned its drivers to take a rest once every four hours in accordance with the standard operational safety procedure (SOP).

"We suggest all members to implement safety management system issued by Transportation Ministry," he said.

In the early hours of Monday, June 17, a traffic accident occurred in at KM 150.9 of the Cipali toll road, involving a bus owned by Otobus company Safari, a Mitsubishi Expander, a Toyota Innova, and a Mitsubishi truck.

The accident killed 12 people while two people were severely injured and a few others sustained minor injuries.

The Indonesian National Transportation Safety Commission (KNKT) is still investigating the cause of the accident. Based on preliminary data, the commission focuses to examine the bus control and the engineering design of the median road along Cipali toll road.

FRANCISCA CHRISTY ROSANA