Jakarta: It's chaotic, crowded and polluted<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari and Anissa S. Febrina
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Jakarta<\/p>\n
Ayako Shimizu, a staff member of the Information and Culture
\nSection at the Embassy of Japan, was waiting one morning for a
\ntaxi in Hang Lekir, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, when a car
\npulled up beside her.<\/p>\n
She got into the car voluntarily when the driver offered her a
\nlift to her office on Jl. Thamrin.<\/p>\n
"I had been waiting for a taxi for quite a long time, so I
\naccepted the offer. Possibly, he thought I was a joki," she
\njokingly told the Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
The joki is a product of the Jakarta administration's "three-
\nin-one" policy to ease traffic congestion in the city during rush
\nhours.<\/p>\n
Drivers often pay joki to raise the number of passengers to
\nthree so that they can enter major thoroughfares affected by the
\nthree-in-one policy.<\/p>\n
Under this policy, only cars with at least three passengers
\nare allowed to pass through the city center.<\/p>\n
While some dismiss Jakarta as chaotic, crowded and polluted,
\nothers perceive the city as a melting pot.<\/p>\n
Bob Smith, a CEO of an advertising company, cynically said
\nthat although Jakarta was the capital of the world's fourth
\nbiggest country, it basically had no "roads".<\/p>\n
"The roads in this city are not roads but places where people
\nfight to get in front of each other," said Smith, who has been
\nliving in Jakarta for 25 years.<\/p>\n
Despite the city's hectic pace, the social and cultural
\namalgamation of Jakarta can also be invigorating.<\/p>\n
"Well, there is a unique experience everyday."<\/p>\n
"I like being in Jakarta as my standard of living is
\nreasonable and I can save money for the future. What I don't like
\nis the corruption, the police and the way they treat people, the
\ntraffic and the rubbish," Smith added.<\/p>\n
Korean businessman Ahn Ali, 40, said he loved to go to malls,
\ncafes and traditional hangouts like warung tegal (street-side
\nrestaurants selling Tegal food) or restoran padang (Padang
\nrestaurants).<\/p>\n
"Traditional cafes are more interesting. People used to drink
\ncoffee in warung kopi (traditional coffee shops) but now they
\nhave Starbucks," he said.<\/p>\n
While Ahn enjoys the city's modern malls or cafes, he regrets
\nthe lack of green public spaces.<\/p>\n
Ahn suggested that Jakarta should protect the parks it has and
\nlook at establishing more.<\/p>\n
"The Monas (park) is good but we don't have many places like
\nthat," he said.<\/p>\n
Belgian Marc Peeters concurred with Ali, saying that the city
\nadministration needed to upgrade sidewalks for pedestrians'
\ncomfort.<\/p>\n
If strong action is not taken soon the capital's traffic
\nproblem will only get worse, becoming more difficult to solve.<\/p>\n
"Without traffic jams, people would have a great deal more
\ntime on their hands to finish their work," Peeters said.<\/p>\n
The huge influx of villagers to the capital in search of jobs
\nis part of the problem. The increasing population coupled with
\npoor city management has resulted in a crowded and chaotic place.<\/p>",
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