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Train Travel

Train Travel: Ride Safe or Get Sprayed

March 6, 2008 at 10:35 AM | 0 Comments

The commuter train's packed and you're late for work. Next move? Hop on top of the car and cling for dear life until your stop, right? Probably not, unless you're in Jakarta.

So many people are risking life and limb to get to work in the Indonesian capital that authorities are taking new and bizarre measures to prevent it. The latest? They're spraying people with food coloring.

Local train station guards told the BBC that warning signs and regular security checks haven't worked. Last year 23 people in the city were killed from electrocution or falling off the trains. The idea now is that these desperate commuters will stop if they think they might show up to work looking ridiculous--and the guards aren't holding back:

In the back office at Manggarai station, the team preparing the mixture told me it made victims' eyes water and their skin itch. I asked them if they aimed for any specific part of their targets. "No," was the answer, "we spray them all over."

Hey, whatever works. Maybe they could start using this stuff on unruly passengers in Manhattan.

Related Stories:
· Indonesia spray paints commuters [BBC]
· Train Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: diankarl]