A subway for Jakarta<\/p>\n
Although many details still have to be worked out, Jakarta's
\ndream of finally getting a mass rapid transportation system to
\nrelieve it of its perennial traffic woes appears to have come a
\ngood step closer to becoming reality. As was reported, the
\ngovernment this week gave the Indonesian-Japanese-European Group
\n(IJEG) consortium the go-ahead to start preparations for building
\nthe US$2.2 billion subway project, which is to link South Jakarta
\nwith the downtown Kota business district by means of a 14.5-
\nkilometer underground railroad system.<\/p>\n
With the official approval obtained, negotiations are now set
\nto begin in order to work out details of the plan before actual
\nconstruction takes place. If all goes according to plan,
\nconstruction will begin in June and be completed by 2001, in time
\nto add luster to the 56th anniversary celebrations of Indonesia's
\nindependence. Obviously, the news comes as a relief for the
\nmillions of Jakartans who at present suffer the daily ordeal of
\ntraffic jams or having to commute to work on the city's miserable
\npublic transportation system.<\/p>\n
The hope now is that no further snags will hamper the project.
\nBy any measure, building a subway system for Jakarta is no small
\nundertaking. Initial negotiations were reportedly protracted due
\nto financing. But putting the immense cost aside, the technical
\nproblems that may arise in carrying out a project of this
\nmagnitude in an overcrowded city of more than nine million
\npeople, and one that is partly built on what used to be
\nmarshland, can only be imagined.<\/p>\n
A complete overhaul of the city's public transportation system
\nis the only alternative for Jakarta if it is to maintain its
\nposition as a center of administration, commerce and
\ncommunication. Simply widening the roads, or even building new
\nones, or limiting traffic during certain hours in some areas of
\nthe city, are mere stop-gap measures that will not solve the
\nproblem in the long run, as past experience has shown.<\/p>\n
At this stage, the authorities should start thinking about
\ninforming the public of how all this is going to affect them. The
\nplan, for example, calls for the building of 18 stations along
\nthe 14.5-kilometer route. How is its construction going to affect
\nbuildings and structures located above them? Who is eligible for
\ncompensation in the event that land has to be appropriated? What
\nother effects on personal comfort or daily routine can people
\nexpect? In time, such questions may well arise, although it would
\nbe premature at this stage to bother about such details.<\/p>\n
It could be that the subway plan is not the only thing to
\nrelieve Jakarta of its traffic problems. Little has been heard
\nlately of a plan to build a three-tiered road and elevated
\nrailway system to link South Jakarta with the Kota business
\ndistrict. One might wonder what the fate of this proposal could
\nbe. Certainly, if such a system could provide practical and
\nfeasible support to any of the existing systems, there is still
\nroom for it as long as the basic considerations are sound.<\/p>\n
But the best we can do now is wait and see how things will
\nwork out and hope that a genuine solution to Jakarta's traffic
\nproblems is in sight.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/a-subway-for-jakarta-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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