The local government in Bali has grown tired of the many tourists who break the island’s traffic rules every year with rented motorbikes – and therefore wants to introduce a ban on visitors renting the popular means of transport, writes The Guardian.
Instead, tourists will be offered cars to get around the island, according to Bali Governor Wayan Koster.
“Tourists should behave like tourists and use cars provided by travel agencies. This instead of riding around on motorbikes – bare-faced or without clothes or helmets – while breaking traffic rules and sometimes not even having a driver’s license,” he says.
Between the end of February and the beginning of March this year alone, foreign nationals are said to have been involved in over 171 traffic accidents in Bali.
The Indonesian island has long been a popular destination among backpackers in particular – but in recent times the island’s government has tightened its tone against the hordes of tourists.
In December, an Indonesian bill was presented, according to which sex outside marriage could be banned in the country and punished with up to a year in prison.
According to Bali’s governor Wayan Koster, there are also plans to crack down on foreign tourists who work illegally on the island.