Busway system to start in December<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Eight months from now, Jakartans will be able to enjoy a busway
\nsystem connecting Blok M in South Jakarta with downtown Kota in
\nWest Jakarta after the city administration announced on Thursday
\nthat the new scheme would start operating in December.<\/p>\n
Jakartans will also get a boon in the form of cheaper tickets
\n-- Rp 3,000 (US cents 32) each compared to the current Rp 3,200
\nfare for air-conditioned buses.<\/p>\n
To allay fears that the project would cause environmental
\ndamage and not resolve the traffic congestion problem, the
\nadministration has made several changes to the original plan.<\/p>\n
Jakarta Land Transportation Agency director Rustam Effendi
\nsaid the 50 air-conditioned buses would use the left fast lane
\nfrom Blok M to Harmoni, instead of using the right fast lane as
\nplanned earlier. But the buses would still use the right fast
\nlane from Harmoni to Kota.<\/p>\n
Another change was the provision of zebra crossings instead of
\npedestrian bridges for bus passengers from the nearside
\nreservation to the sidewalk.<\/p>\n
\"We decided to change the method of crossing from bridges to
\nzebra crossings so as to facilitate elderly people and the
\ndisabled,\" Rustam said.<\/p>\n
The project -- designed by transportation experts from the
\nYogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University -- had initially involved
\nthe felling of hundreds of trees along Jl. Sisingamangaraja, Jl.
\nJend. Sudirman and Jl. M.H. Thamrin for the building of bus
\nshelters and other facilities for the new transportation system.<\/p>\n
Some 40 shelters will be built for commuters under pedestrian
\nbridges in the nearside reservation along the route. Only some 50
\nair-conditioned buses will be licensed to travel in the fast
\nlanes.<\/p>\n
Assistant for Development Affairs to the City Secretary, Irzal
\nDjamal, said a tender for the procurement of the buses and
\nconstruction of shelters would be announced soon after the
\npreparatory team, which he also chairs, held final consultations
\nwith Governor Sutiyoso next Wednesday.<\/p>\n
He also said that all companies, both local and foreign, were
\nwelcome to bid for the Rp 54 billion project.<\/p>\n
Indonesian Consumers' Foundation (YLKI) chairwoman Indah
\nSuksmaningsih expressed pessimism that the 50 buses deployed in
\nthe busway system would resolve the problem of traffic jams.<\/p>\n
\"Do they consider where private cars can pass if one of the
\nthree fast lanes is used only by buses,\" she said, adding that
\nthe project would probably only cause more congestion.<\/p>\n
Indah also questioned the administration's readiness to
\neducate drivers -- who will receive a monthly salary of between
\nRp 1 and Rp 2 million -- to be disciplined in stopping only at
\nofficial bus stops.<\/p>\n
The administration allowed buses to use the fast lanes along
\nJl. Jend. Sudirman and Jl. M.H. Thamrin in the early 1990s. The
\nproject failed as passengers had difficulty in crossing the slow
\nlane from the nearside reservation to the roadside. The failure
\nforced the administration to abandon the project and revert to
\nthe old system where buses used the slow lane.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/busway-system-to-start-in-december-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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