'Draft bylaw won't solve transportation woes in city'<\/p>\n
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The draft bylaw on Jakarta's transportation system, submitted by
\nGovernor Sutiyoso last week, met with strong criticism on
\nThursday from City Council, which said that it failed to solve
\nthe city's traffic woes.<\/p>\n
During a plenary session to hear responses from the 11
\nfactions on City Council, councilors pointed out that the
\nambitious bill does not reflect the current reality of traffic
\nand transportation facilities in the capital.<\/p>\n
\"The draft bylaw should be able to resolve Jakarta's traffic
\nproblems, especially the congestion and unorganized traffic
\nsystem,\" Totok Ismunandar of the Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle (PDI Perjuangan) said.<\/p>\n
He told the session, which was attended by Sutiyoso, that the
\nbill does not outline a comprehensive policy on the
\ntransportation system.<\/p>\n
Totok added that the administration shunned the need to
\nregulate air transportation, citing the growing trend that many
\ncompanies and hotels had started renting out helicopters for
\nbusiness activities.<\/p>\n
The draft bylaw, consisting of 19 chapters and 111 articles,
\nhas long been awaited to replace Bylaw No. 9, 1992 on Traffic and
\nLand Transportation in Jakarta, which many say is outdated and no
\nlonger relevant for controlling the city's traffic.<\/p>\n
The new bylaw is expected to provide the city with a
\ncomprehensive transportation system, which includes bus services,
\nan MRT system, a railway network and water transportation.<\/p>\n
The administration said that in the future, all large city
\nbuses would be integrated with the busway system, which is being
\ndeveloped by the administration.<\/p>\n
Large buses will only operate on the main roads, while medium-
\nsized buses will run on feeder routes, integrating their services
\nwith those operating the busway, while smaller public vehicles
\nwill support the medium-sized bus system.<\/p>\n
However, the draft bylaw did not detail the controversial
\nbusway project, which is scheduled to be operational later this
\nyear.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Military (TNI)\/National Police faction on City
\nCouncil questioned why the bill did not elaborate on the busway
\nplan.<\/p>\n
\"Moreover, the draft bylaw requires all buses to enter bus
\nterminals. But it neglects the fact that the terminals cannot
\naccommodate all the buses,\" said the faction's speaker, Dody
\nSudarno.<\/p>\n
The bill also failed to provide a solution on how to deal with
\nthugs who often threaten drivers for money at bus terminals and
\nother shelters, he added.<\/p>\n
The Golkar faction also criticized the bill for including a
\nplan to promote water transportation in the capital when the
\ncity's rivers are less than 15 meters wide and there are no
\nwaterways suitable for transportation as they do not connect with
\nother places.<\/p>\n
Totok said the administration should explain whether it had
\ngained the authority to manage railways and water transportation
\nsystems since they are under the control of the central
\ngovernment.<\/p>\n
Golkar and other factions questioned several articles in the
\ndraft bylaw, which allow the governor to make exceptions to the
\nregulations, saying it could encourage the abuse of legal
\nmechanisms and corruption.<\/p>\n
The National Awakening Party (PKB) faction queried a
\nstipulation in the bill that fines pedestrians who do not walk on
\nthe sidewalk.<\/p>\n
\"It would be unfair if a pedestrian is locked up for three
\nmonths or told to pay a Rp 5 million (US$602) fine just because
\nhe or she did not use the sidewalks, which are already crowded
\nwith street vendors and parked vehicles,\" PKB's Abbas Saleh
\nMa'mun told the session.<\/p>\n
The draft bylaw recommends the establishment of a special
\nagency to oversee the transportation networks, but it did not
\ngive any details on the new body.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/draft-bylaw-wont-solve-transportation-woes-in-city-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}