'Busway project need broader public participation'<\/p>\n
Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The controversial busway project is likely to be postponed
\nuntil at least the end of this year as more time is needed to
\ndisseminate information about the program and to ensure wider
\npublic participation, a police official and activist said here on
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
They were commenting on the busway project after returning
\nfrom Bogota, Columbia, where they joined a comparative study in
\nbusway systems.<\/p>\n
The other busway team members, including chairwoman D.A. Rini,
\nwent to London to continue the comparative study.<\/p>\n
Head of traffic development at the National Police, Sr. Comr.
\nEndro Agung said that at least three years were needed to
\ndisseminate information to the public about the busway.<\/p>\n
\"Besides the campaign, the project also needs wider public
\nparticipation,\" Endro told reporters after attending a meeting at
\nthe Jakarta Transportation Agency office in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Endro said a similar busway program which currently runs well
\nin Bogota was discussed with the public for four years before it
\nwas implemented three years ago.<\/p>\n
Agency head Rustam Effendy admitted on Wednesday that the
\nproject, which is estimated to cost Rp 85 billion, needed more
\ntime for a public information campaign.<\/p>\n
\"So far we've campaigned for the project for less than two
\nyears. So I agree that it needs more time,\" Rustam told
\nreporters.<\/p>\n
The launch of the project which was designed in 2000 by
\ntransportation experts from Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada
\nUniversity, has been postponed twice due to lack of financial
\nsupport and public awareness.<\/p>\n
Many observers have argued that the busway system which would
\nbe applied along the main city thoroughfares of Jl. Jend.
\nSudirman and Jl. MH. Thamrin, would only worsen the traffic
\ncongestion.<\/p>\n
The administration had recently painted red squares along the
\nmain roads designating bus stops and installed shelters and signs
\nfor the project. The buses will use the fast lane of the roads.<\/p>\n
The one-week workshop in Bogota, which was organized by the
\nInternational Transportation Development Program, was also
\nattended by officials from the transportation agency and
\nactivists from the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) and the
\nJakarta Residents Forum (Fakta).<\/p>\n
Separately, Fakta chairman Azas Tigor Nainggolan, who attended
\nthe workshop in Bogota, urged the administration to postpone the
\nproject.<\/p>\n
\"The project should be canceled and redesigned from scratch
\nwith wider public involvement,\" Tigor told The Jakarta Post on
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
He said the busway project could not be separated from the
\nwhole transportation system in the city, saying that the city
\nshould allow non-motorized vehicles, such as bicycles and
\npedicabs, to operate in the city.<\/p>\n
He said the administration should also limit the age of
\nvehicles allowed on the city's streets to reduce traffic jams.<\/p>\n
\"The city should also provide wide sidewalks if the project is
\nto be continued. So it's not only about the project,\" Tigor said.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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