City sidelines pedestrians in development<\/p>\n
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The scorching heat slowed her steps as she climbed the stairs of
\na pedestrian bridge connecting Plaza Blok M and the nearest bus
\nterminal in South Jakarta, while she clutched her handbag tightly
\nin fear of pickpockets who often target pedestrians there.<\/p>\n
Tanti, 25, a resident of Tangerang in Banten province, had to
\ndeal with other problems as soon as she reached the sidewalk on
\nthe other side of the bridge: Street vendors and broken pavement
\nbricks made it impossible for her to walk in comfort in her high-
\nheel work shoes.<\/p>\n
\"I think the city administration doesn't pay enough attention
\nto provide facilities for pedestrians. Just look at the bridges,
\nwhich don't have roofs to shelter us from the heat or rain, and
\nalso the sidewalks that could make us stumble and fall.<\/p>\n
\"Aren't we also users of the public transportation system? Why
\ndo I feel that pedestrians like me are being marginalized?\"
\nTanti, an employee at a forwarding company, told The Jakarta Post
\non Friday.<\/p>\n
Her remark was ironic, as it came after the city
\nadministration had planned an ambitious project to beautify the
\nsidewalks along the main downtown thoroughfare, Jl. M.H. Thamrin,
\nwhich is home to towering office buildings. The move was an
\neffort to make the capital resemble foreign cities that boasted
\nthe least-polluting transportation users.<\/p>\n
The project has drawn strong criticism, with analysts saying
\nthe plan was improper, as the poor condition of pedestrian
\nfacilities across Jakarta remained unaddressed, regardless of the
\nlarge number of users.<\/p>\n
A recent study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency
\n(JICA), which surveyed about 600,000 respondents in Jakarta,
\nreveals that 41.9 percent of users of the transportation system
\nare non-motorists, including bicyclists and pedestrians.<\/p>\n
Private cars are only able to transport 7.7 percent of
\ncommuters, while public buses 32.7 percent, the survey also
\nreported.<\/p>\n
Critics and many residents say the city administration has for
\ndecades been concerned only with economic productivity and its
\ninfrastructure, for which asphalt roads were constructed or
\nwidened at the expense of sidewalks.<\/p>\n
Urban planning expert Marco Kusumawijaya argued that most city
\nplanners adopted a transportation system design that excluded
\npedestrians in its development.<\/p>\n
\"Moreover, pedestrians are considered the poor, who don't make
\nany contributions to the city. In the wide gap that exists
\nbetween the rich and the poor in our social system, where public
\nfacilities are divided among the social classes, attention is
\nmade only to the rich,\" he told the Post.<\/p>\n
Marco said the issue of sidewalks had always been taken for
\ngranted and had never been considered an integral part of the
\ncity transportation system.<\/p>\n
\"If the administration wants to reduce the number of cars on
\nthe road, it should increase the number of public transportation
\nfacilities, such as buses. And, pedestrians are mostly commuters
\nwho use sidewalks to reach bus stops. Therefore, more attention
\nshould be given to facilities for pedestrians,\" he added.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/city-sidelines-pedestrians-in-development-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}