Congestion causes stress, sickness<\/p>\n
By Rita A. Widiadana<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Life is hard enough in Jakarta, even without
\ntraffic jams destroying the health of drivers and people who take
\npublic transportation. Some people choose to look at the jams in
\na positive way, others recognize their gravity.<\/p>\n
\"I know that I can't avoid traffic jams so I just enjoy them.
\nI always spend my 'extra time' on the road by double-checking my
\ndaily plans, reading the newspaper and listening to good music,\"
\nsaid Donny Suhadi, a young executive for a foreign company, about
\nhis way of coping with Jakarta's traffic.<\/p>\n
He said that it takes him nearly two hours to get from his
\nhouse in Bekasi to his office on Jl. Jend Sudirman in South
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
\"My boss keeps reprimanding me for being late, but what can I
\nsay? Should I go to the office at 5 a.m.?\" Donny asked.<\/p>\n
Ratnasari Dewi, an employee at a private bank in Kota, added
\nthat it is quicker to take the KRL rapid light transit train from
\nher home in Bogor to the office than to drive.<\/p>\n
\"Although that means I have a sauna every day on the crowded
\ntrain, it takes me only 30 minutes to reach my office,\" she
\nexplained.<\/p>\n
Aside from the humidity on the train, the short is quite fun.
\nRatna often makes new friends and even met her recent boyfriend.<\/p>\n
They are the exception. Most of the city's 9 million people
\nare sick of and getting sick from the congestion.<\/p>\n
Susy, a 20-year-old university student, must take a bus to her
\ncampus in crowded Grogol in West Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"Taking a bus is a nightmare for me, especially when I have a
\nclass early in the morning. The bus is always crowded, I am
\npressed in like a sardine. Added to this, most bus drivers are
\ncareless. All I can do is pray that the bus arrives safely at the
\ncampus,\" Susy said.<\/p>\n
\"A traffic jam in Jakarta is comparable to cancer. It hits all
\nparts of the city, yet there is still no way to solve the
\nproblem,\" said Bambang S. Pujiyanto, a senior expert on
\ntransportation engineering at the Agency for the Application and
\nAssessment of Technology.<\/p>\n
\"It is very difficult to find the centers of congestion
\nbecause traffic jams occur on all major roads,\" Bambang
\nexplained.<\/p>\n
Bambang added that many smaller streets in new residential
\ncomplexes are also clogged.<\/p>\n
\"There are only a few streets that are congestion free,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The current system cannot cope because buses, minibuses and
\nthe light rapid transit systems cannot carry the increasing
\nnumber of passengers in Greater Jakarta. The population rose to
\nan alarming 17 million in 1993. Today there are 9.7 million
\ncommuters traveling from the Botabek (Bogor-Tangerang-Bekasi) to
\nJakarta every day. The population is expected to increase 3.6
\npercent to 23 million by 2015.<\/p>\n
\"Jakarta badly needs a mode of transportation that can carry a
\ngreat number of passengers in order to cope with the city's rapid
\ndevelopment over the next 30 years,\" Bambang said.<\/p>\n
Ideally, a city that has a population of 1 million should have
\na mass rapid transportation system, like a subway.<\/p>\n
Statistics show the enormity of the traffic problem in
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
* The city suffers Rp 337.5 million to Rp 123 billion in
\nlosses a year. The data is based on the gasoline burned in
\ntraffic jams.<\/p>\n
* Traffic jams also cause serious air pollution. The pollution
\nincreases the number of patients suffering from heart disease,
\nlung cancer and hypertension. Each year 26 out of every 100
\nJakartans die from these diseases.<\/p>\n
* World Bank data shows that many companies have increased
\ntheir health allowances, from Rp 462 billion ($220 million) in
\nl990 to more than Rp 500 billion in l994. The continuing traffic
\ncongestion, the data shows, has affected health of many employees
\nin stressed-out Jakarta. The data also reveals that the
\ncongestion has caused physical and mental disorders in many
\nworkers.<\/p>\n
* There are 1.5 million vehicles in Jakarta. Some 86 percent of
\nwhich are private cars, 11.4 percent public vehicles, and 2.6
\npercent cargo and container vehicles.<\/p>\n
* Jakarta has only 16,208 bajaj (three-wheeled vehicles),
\n14,016 public transportation vehicles, 9,371 small buses, around
\n7,900 medium-sized and big buses, 14,000 taxis and 2,559 tourist
\nbuses.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/congestion-causes-stress-sickness-1447893297",
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