The Last Two Years Accidents At Railroads Increase: Indication Of Low Traffic Discipline

An accident at the Rawa Geni crossing, Depok, West Java, on Wednesday, April 20, 2022, when a minibus was hit by a KRL train bound for Bogor-Jakarta. (ANTARA/Andika Wahyu)

JAKARTA - A minibus was hit by a KRL train at the Rawa Geni crossing, Depok City, West Java on Wednesday 20 April 2022. The Twitter account @commuterLine Wednesday (20/04/2022) wrote, "KA 1077 (Bogor-Jakarta Kota) was tempered (hit) car between the downstream Citayam-Depok station, the train is currently under inspection. Sorry for the inconvenience."

Antara reported that there were no casualties. However, as a result of this accident, the passenger journey from Bogor to Jakarta was delayed, and resulted in traffic jams.

Earlier on Thursday, March 19, a woman was almost hit by a train at Tigaraksa Station, Tangerang. In order to save her life, the woman was forced to give up her motorbike being crushed by a train.

A few months ago, a student from the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Indonesia, was also killed when he was hit by a KRL at the Pondok Cina station crossing, Depok, Thursday, January 20. The victim heard no sign that the train was approaching.

A motorcyclist performs the extremely dangerous act of crossing a level crossing as a train approaches. (ANTARA)

PT. KAI in this month of Ramadan threatens criminal sanctions to people who carry out sahur activities or wait for iftar around the railroad tracks. Public Relations Manager of PT KAI Daop 4 Semarang, Krisbiyantoro said this was regulated in Law No. 23 of 2007 concerning railways.

In addition to endangering yourself, various activities around the rail are also feared to endanger train travel. Moreover, in the period leading up to this Eid, there will be an increase in the frequency of train trips.

There are 2700 Crossroads

According to the Directorate General of Railways at the Ministry of Transportation (Kemenhub), there are currently 2700 level crossings in Indonesia, both managed and unmanaged. Everything is a potential accident.

A level crossing is an intersection between a railway line and a public road made on a plot. The number of level crossings along the rail is due to the increasing activity of vehicle users, who have to cross the rail line. This causes level crossings to become accident-prone points.

Meanwhile, the high number of accidents at railroad crossings is due to the low level of community discipline in traffic. Areas that have many crossings on a railroad track, will be prone to traffic jams and accidents.

Since long ago, the discussion about this level crossing has always been hot. For the community itself, it is like a simalakama fruit or a difficult choice. On the one hand, people need short roads, but on the other hand, crossings can also be a source of accidents.

Increasing Number of Accidents

Reporting from dephub.go.id, due to an accident at a level crossing, KAI suffered losses in the form of locomotive damage from light to heavy. With details in 2020, there was 208 locomotive damage due to being hit by motorbikes, cars, and trucks. In 2021 the number rose 2.4 percent to 213 damages.

In 2022 until early March the number reached 36 damages which caused train trips to be delayed. Delays occurred because they had to carry out line sterilization, inspection of facilities, and change of facilities.

The increase in the number of accidents at level crossings indicates that this event cannot be underestimated. Discipline in driving society which is still low must be improved, including driving behavior.

According to Law no. 22 of 2009 concerning Road Transport Traffic (LLAJ) article 296 states: every person who drives a motorized vehicle at a crossing between a train and a road that does not stop when the signal has sounded, the rail gate has started to close, and/or there are other signals. as referred to in Article 114 letter, shall be punished with a maximum imprisonment of three months or a maximum fine of IDR 750 thousand.

"PT KAI invites road users, the government, and law enforcement to jointly maintain safety at railroad crossings, so that accidents at level crossings do not keep repeating themselves," said Joni Martinus, KAI's VP of Public Relations, as published on the website KAI.id.

Dense settlements along the railway line should be put in order because it is very dangerous. (ANTARA)

According to Joni, train travel should be prioritized by road users because trains cannot stop suddenly.

"The most dangerous traffic violation at level crossings can threaten the safety of the driver, assistant engineer, and of course the train passengers," he said.

To overcome cases of traffic accidents at level crossings, KAI hopes for support from law enforcement so that people can be more disciplined in traffic.

It is hoped that the Ministry of Transportation together with PT KAI and the Regional Government can jointly think about crossing a train plot in their respective regions, especially those located on traffic-heavy lanes. Thankfully, they can build a flyover or underpass, so that the intersection of the railroad and the highway does not exist.

Level Cross Closure Program

The increase in traffic accident cases and become a point of congestion due to the existence of level crossings, was responded quickly by the Ministry of Transportation through the Directorate General of Railways (DJKA).

So, on March 8, the Directorate of Railway Safety has socialized the closure of the level crossing of Pasar Senen Station, Central Jakarta on the south side.

Director of Railway Safety, Edi Nur Salam, stated that the closure of this level crossing was an effort by DJKA to reduce it. Because according to Law Number 23 of 2007 concerning Railways, railroad crossings should no longer be on the same plot as the road.

PT KAI's campaign on appeals not to break through railroad crossings. (ANTARA)

"Especially with the level crossing, the safety of road users is threatened and traffic is disrupted," continued Edi.

Edi also added that there are still many railroad crossings that are prone to accidents that cause casualties. So far, more than 1500 level crossings have been closed by DJKA, and 500 more will soon be closed.

The whole community should participate in maintaining safety at level crossings in order to prevent accidents that often repeat themselves. It should always be remembered that the driver of the vehicle must give priority to the train and give primary rights to the vehicle that passes the rail first.