Bali traffic: Aussie blows whistle to try to fix intersection chaos at Indonesian tourist hotspot
The Australian tourist instantly becomes a Bali icon after using a whistle and his mullet to bravely jump into the middle of a chaotic traffic jam and steer the cars.
- Aussie jumps into the street to direct traffic
- The roads are often chaotic in Bali
An Australian tourist sporting a mullet bravely parked in the middle of a chaotic Balinese intersection after the holiday island was hit with traffic problems once again.
The skinny bule, the local term for a foreigner, was seen on Monday using a whistle to try to direct traffic after cars and scooters became stuck bumper-to-bumper on a crowded highway.
Dressed in a black T-shirt, a pair of sunglasses, and a simple pair of sandals, the tourist stood in the middle of the intersection to direct the cars, quickly earning the respect of the locals.
“Thank you sir,” wrote the Bali local.
Indonesia is known for its terrible traffic, but Bali is especially notorious given the large number of tourists descending on the island since it reopened to travelers after the Covid pandemic.
Dressed entirely in black, the Australian stood in the middle of the street immersing himself in the culture while earning the respect of the locals.
Blowing gusts of air through his whistle, the Australian could be seen waving his arms wildly to direct traffic through the two-way intersection.
Dozens of scooters waited their turn to move forward as he drove cars down the other street during the brief clip.
The person behind the camera approached the Australian from several cars behind, thanking him in the caption for his service.
‘Do you have a work visa?’ one commenter joked in the comments.
Traffic jams are nothing new to those familiar with Bali, especially in the capital of Denpasar.
Another tourist took to TikTok in September to joke about trying to take a shortcut through Canggu, only to face even worse traffic on the way.
Last October, Bali Governor Wayan Koster called on locals to stop complaining about congestion.
“It used to be quiet, we enjoyed traveling, now we start complaining,” Governor Koster said as he celebrated his first term.
‘Don’t complain, because if it’s crowded, it means the economy is alive.’
Island-wide hotel occupancy has recently hovered at 65 percent, with some areas of Badung Regency consistently exceeding 90 percent.
Traffic controllers are required to handle the notorious traffic jams all over Indonesia, but especially in Bali.