Attention: left side traffic!
- To be on the safe side it’s better to still look around, even when driving on the green. It is possible that someone will decide to skip to the red one.
- The same applies to the main road: in general, this rule is respected, but not always. If a biker leaves the secondary road with a left turn (for left-side traffic that is analogous to a right turn in right-side traffic) – he can do it without looking right. You should be prepared for this.
- In Indonesia people sometimes turn left under the red traffic light if you are not in anybody’s way. Exception – the «left” traffic light is red
- Bike drivers often do not look in the rear-view mirrors, so the one who is driving behind should be especially careful. If a driver before you decides to overtake or reorganize – you should be ready for that. The same applies to the one driving behind you – he is watching your maneuvers.
- Very often drivers may turn right or overtake without a turn signal or accidentally turn on the wrong signal. In general, flashing signals mean almost nothing, as sometimes people just forget to turn them off. This is common to all bikes. No problem to see flashing signal on a car, but it is very easy to miss the same on a bike under bright sun and in noisy environment. However if a bike driver waves his hand in the direction of the turn, that is probably the only sign that definitely confirms his intentions (unless he suddenly changes his mind).
Hopefully those simple tips will help you on the roads of the beautiful island of Bali. Please remember that irrespective of the chaos on local roads it is very important to be always smiling. Conflicts on the roads are not welcome here.
About cars
It will be fair to say that cars drive here rather smoothly and accurately. Local drivers are used to a huge number of bikes around them – that makes them ride more regular and careful. However on the way to Port Gilimanuk you may see crazy trucks rushing along the oncoming lane – but this is rather the exception. In touristic areas car drivers are very accurate. This is a huge advantage for beginners to master the two-wheeled technique.
