Busway could aggravate congestion if project fails<\/p>\n
Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Get ready for the busway system that is scheduled for a trial run
\nin the middle of January. The system is expected encourage people
\nto leave their cars at home and to use the public transportation
\nto travel to work every day.<\/p>\n
If the system's aim is realized, it will alleviate traffic
\ncongestion from Blok M in South Jakarta to Kota in West Jakarta.
\nBut if it fails, it will worsen the already serious problem of
\ncongestion in the 12.9 kilometer route.<\/p>\n
Earlier, the city transportation agency planned to have the
\nnew system fully operational by the end of this year at the
\nlatest but decided to postpone it for \"technical reasons\".<\/p>\n
\"Maybe it is a blessing in disguise that the city
\nadministration decided to postpone the busway system so it can be
\nbetter prepared and designed,\" a transportation expert, Alan
\nMarino, told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.<\/p>\n
\"It will be such a waste if this expensive project results in
\nfailure. That's why the transportation agency has to ensure that
\neverything goes well,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The city transportation agency said that the new system would
\nuse two buses from different makers, the Japanese Hino and German
\nMercedes Benz, to see which one was more suitable for the new
\nsystem.<\/p>\n
There will be 60 buses, increased from the original number of
\n50 buses, to serve the busy route once it is fully operational.<\/p>\n
The agency has so far marked the special lane for the busway
\nfrom Blok M to the Harmony intersection in Central Jakarta. The
\nbusway lane is separated by wider street lines.<\/p>\n
Motorists may also notice red squares painted along the way
\nindicating future bus stops for the busway system. There are 30
\nspots in each direction.<\/p>\n
The project's initial budget was Rp 50.8 billion from the 2002
\nCity Budget although only Rp 4 billion was spent on miscellaneous
\nitems.<\/p>\n
Though it has not yet spent the initial budget, the agency
\ninstead requested a two-fold budget increase of some Rp 90.25
\nbillion for \"more items\" to be financed by the 2003 city budget.<\/p>\n
Alan, who is also a lecturer for a transportation program of
\nthe civil engineering department of the University of Indonesia,
\nwarned the city administration to be fair about which companies
\nwould be allowed to operate the busway. \"There should be at least
\ntwo or three companies involved in the project to prevent any
\nmonopoly,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Besides, a single company would not be able to serve such a
\nbusy and huge route.<\/p>\n
\"The city administration should give equal treatment to
\ncompanies who qualify in terms of technical specifications to run
\nthe busway system,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, bus drivers already plying the route demanded equal
\ntreatment last Friday with the city-planned busway system saying
\nprivileges given to the new system were not fair.<\/p>\n
They told the Post that they mainly objected to the exclusive
\nlane designated for the busway in the fast lane on the right side
\nof the two-way street. Currently, all buses are required to drive
\nin the slow lane.<\/p>\n
But Alan said the drivers need not worry because there was
\nenough for everyone in the lucrative route. \"The most important
\nthing is that all existing buses are allowed to run as usual. Let
\nthem compete freely with the buses in the busway.<\/p>\n
\"It would be stupid to stop the existing service while we are
\nnot sure how the busway will perform,\" he added.<\/p>\n
But as the busway will occupy one lane exclusively, many
\nskeptics say it would only worsen traffic jams rather than
\nreducing them.<\/p>\n
\"Well, I think we must see it the other way around. The busway
\npromises a shorter travel time with its dedicated lane\", said
\nAlan.<\/p>\n
The next two years will be a crucial period to ensure that the
\nbusway really works well, he added.<\/p>\n
\"It is up to the bus operators to achieve the goal. Once they
\ncan achieve it, more passengers will leave their cars at home and
\nuse the busway,\" he said.<\/p>",
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