Police Ask Travelers to Avoid Garut-Bandung Alternative Route

KatadataOTO – Despite congestion on the main road, the Garut Resort Police advise the public to avoid alternative routes. The routes in question are those connecting Bandung Regency with Garut, such as Cipajati, Kamojang, and Cisewu.

This is because the routes are considered quite dangerous, especially at night and during rainy conditions.

"We do not recommend them, the reasons being the roads are not wide enough, and the road conditions are poor," said Iptu Aang Andi Suhandi, Head of the Garut Resort Police Traffic Unit, as reported by Antara (05/04).

He explained that besides the main road, there are several alternative routes in his area connecting Garut with Bandung. These routes are Kamojang in Samarang District, then Cijapati in Kadungora District, and Cisewu on the southern route of Garut.

Photo : Antara

However, besides being narrow, the road conditions are also poor and lack lighting. Moreover, there are many dangerous descents and inclines.

A similar statement was made by Satria Budi, Head of the Garut Regency Transportation Agency. He revealed that the three alternative roads are not recommended for large vehicles, such as buses, and for nighttime travel.

He mentioned that in general, the asphalt road conditions are good enough to be traversed. However, there are other potential dangers, namely routes with turns, inclines, descents, and weather factors.

"It's safe, but not recommended for nighttime travel, and large vehicles are also prohibited from passing," he said.
He stated that the alternative route connecting to Bandung not only has many sharp turns, inclines, and steep descents but the area is also deserted. Especially the Cisewu route, as it passes through plantations and is prone to landslides.

If you are forced to take that alternative route, he said, it is best to travel in a convoy to watch over and help each other if something happens on the road.

"If you must travel at night, do it in a convoy so you can look out for each other," he stressed.

Photo : Korlantas Polri

Despite advising against using alternative routes, the main road in Garut is actually experiencing congestion. On Friday (04/04), congestion occurred in the afternoon, especially at the Sigobing intersection, which is a meeting point for several tourist locations.

The congestion prompted the police to take several measures, such as implementing a one-way system to break down the density. This strategy was considered quite effective as the traffic congestion gradually eased.