Greater Jakarta transport needs coordination<\/p>\n
Tantri Yuliandini and Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post,
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
The failure of coordination between authorities in Jakarta and
\nthose in the outlaying areas of Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi has
\ncontributed to the chaotic transportation system in Greater
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
The Agency for the Cooperation of Development (BKSP) has been
\naround since 1976, but the agency -- jointly led by governors of
\nJakarta and West Java -- apparently does not function well.<\/p>\n
The establishment of Banten province, which covers Tangerang
\nregency, complicates coordination, and therefore the agency will
\nbe restructured soon to accommodate the change.<\/p>\n
A senior staff member at the agency told The Jakarta Post on
\nTuesday that the main function of the office was simply to
\npresent recommendations for Jakarta and regencies in surrounding
\nareas as well as facilitate meetings between them.<\/p>\n
\"We just give recommendations, and do not have the authority
\nto enforce our recommendations. And we also set up meetings
\nbetween the two provinces, but the decision is up to them,\" said
\nthe staff member, who refused to be named.<\/p>\n
She added that sometimes it was difficult for the agency to
\neven organize discussions between two provinces.<\/p>\n
\"We play our part merely as a mediator, but you know that
\nleaders' egos sometimes prevent them from finding the best way to
\nsolve the problems in Greater Jakarta,\" she said.<\/p>\n
The agency is manned by 54 people, with a three-echelon staff
\nmember as its head.<\/p>\n
Its spacious third-floor office in Sunter, North Jakarta, was
\nquiet on Tuesday morning, with only a few of the 54 people
\nworking at their desks.<\/p>\n
Not one computer was to be seen, instead the sound of a
\ntypewriter being used could be heard in the distance.<\/p>\n
On the walls various data, pictures of the areas and
\ninformation were placed. However, most were outdated.<\/p>\n
The agency was established as a forum of coordination in the
\ncity's planning following the influx of people moving to Jakarta
\nthat forced former Jakarta governor Ali Sadikin to adopt a policy
\nto move residential areas away from the city center to Bekasi in
\nthe east and Tangerang in the west.<\/p>\n
An urban planning expert from West Jakarta's Tarumanegara
\nUniversity, Darrundono, explained: \"The idea was for the
\ndevelopment of the Botabek (Bogor, Tangerang and Bekasi) area to
\nsupport the capital and minimize urbanization.\"<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, this plan was not followed by better
\narrangements to integrate the transportation network between
\nJakarta and Botabek, so that as more and more people move to the
\noutskirts to live, traffic between the capital and outlying areas
\nbecomes congested during rush hours.<\/p>\n
More than 11 million people can be found in the city during
\nthe day, while at night the number dwindles to about eight
\nmillion, according to the Jakarta Bureau of Statistics.<\/p>\n
In making its master plan, the Jakarta administration did
\nrecognize the need to coordinate with West Java on building a
\nbetter transportation network.<\/p>\n
\"The source of transportation problems in Jabotabek (Jakarta
\nand Botabek) centers around the lack of integration between the
\ndevelopment of residential and industrial areas in Botabek with
\nthat of transportation, institutions and weak coordination of
\nmacro, sub-macro and local transportation,\" the administration
\nsaid in its plan for Jakarta 2010.<\/p>\n
It further admitted that coordination between government
\ninstitutions involved in the development of transportation at
\nvarious levels were lacking.<\/p>\n
Darrundono therefore suggested that the Jakarta administration
\ntake a lead in building better cooperation with authorities in
\nthe surrounding areas by removing bureaucratic barriers.<\/p>\n
\"The problem is that urban planning in Jakarta is a matter of
\nbureaucratic planning, depending on the wishes of the ruler.<\/p>\n
\"It must be changed. Urban planning should be an advocacy
\nplanning and take into account the city's development and
\nexpansion into outlaying areas,\" Darrundono said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/greater-jakarta-transport-needs-coordination-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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