Remarkable road leading to Bali beach leaves drivers debating how it could have been built better
Published on Oct 11, 2023 at 2:49 PM (UTC+4)
by Adam Gray
Last updated on Oct 11, 2023 at 7:30 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
A remarkable road leading to a beach in Bali has sent the internet into a spin.
It may be remarkable, but it’s also inciting rigorous debate about the way it was designed.
The construction of the road has left social media users divided, and there are a few reasons for that.
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It all started with a video that was uploaded to Instagram.
The incredible footage, uploaded by @somethingincredibletookplace, gives a bird’s eye view of Pandawa Beach Road.
The video starts above the crevice, before dropping in between the gap and then lowering to near car-level.
The footage was then re-shared on Reddit by u/Bosuns_Punch.
“The Pandawa Beach Road viewpoint in Bali, Indonesia was created in 2011 as part of a project to improve access to Pandawa Beach,” they said.
The road was reportedly funded by the Indonesian government along with help from several private investors.
It reportedly took two full years to construct the road.
There’s no denying it’s a remarkable sight, but that hasn’t stopped people weighing in on how it was built, or how it should have been built.
“Seems like not a very well thought out idea,” one said.
“That’s what I was thinking. Why not drive on top, then make a short ramp at the end. Seems very ridiculous,” another said.
“Will have to come back to this after their next earthquake. Or Imagine being on that road when the next typhoon rolls in,” said a third.
Another took issue with the way it likely interfered with animals, saying “they cut the territory of so many animals in two, with no way to cross”.
On the other end of the spectrum, some defended the road and those who built it.
“The wild animals aren’t really in those areas anymore. I’m not defending the environmental destruction but in terms of what’s scared off the local fauna, that happened many moons ago,” one said.
“This video is maybe unintentionally misleading as this isn’t simply about beach access,” a second said.
“For eg there are paths and narrow ramps from the cliffs to the beach and the true use of the road isn’t explained.
“The man made canyon road was built so big busses could get tourists into a massive beachfront resort.
“A bus ramp from the cliff down direct to the resort wouldn’t have been easy as even if the original owners wanted to sell (and why would you, you’re sitting on a tourist gold mine!), if it’s foreign investors, they could only legally sell in 40 year blocks so tearing down the cliff wouldn’t fit in that scheme.
“Therefore it’s only feasible to just build up an existing scooter road or pathway.”
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Adam Gray is an experienced freelance motoring journalist and content creator based in the United Kingdom. Using his media accreditation with manufacturers’ press offices, Adam test drives the latest cars and attends new vehicle press launches, producing written reviews and news pieces for a variety of lifestyle and business publications. Here at Supercar Blondie, Adam applies his journalistic skills penning social-first content around current news and trends. When he’s not behind the wheel of the latest car or writing up another viral story, Adam can be found at his local rink playing ice hockey or at the Riverside Stadium supporting his beloved Middlesbrough FC.
