Lessons from Cipunagara bridge<\/p>\n
Last Friday's collapse of the Cipunagara bridge near Subang,
\nWest Java, will no doubt be a puzzle to many people. How could
\nthe 24-year-old, 50 meter-long bridge collapse under the weight
\nof seven trucks, a van and a motorcycle?<\/p>\n
Fortunately, there no one was killed in the accident, but at
\nleast 15 cattle died when the truck transporting them plunged
\ninto the river.<\/p>\n
Soon after the incident, officials tried to explain why the
\nrelatively new bridge collapsed. Most said they had been informed
\nabout the decrease in the bridge's weight limit due to aging,
\nfrom between 200 and 250 tons to only 150 tons.<\/p>\n
\"How could a bridge of that capacity withstand a total of 326
\ntons,\" an official said, referring to the total weight of the
\nfully loaded trucks, the minivan and motorcycle that were on the
\nbridge when it fell.<\/p>\n
One of the trucks had a 50 ton load of 1,000 sacks of cement;
\nanother had a 60 ton load of liquid cement and still another had
\na 40 ton load of steel pipes. The cattle truck added to the
\nweight stress passing over the bridge.<\/p>\n
Officials at a nearby weighing station claimed that the trucks
\nhad not stopped by on the road to Subang.<\/p>\n
In short, the officials were convinced that an overload had
\ncaused the two-lane bridge to collapse. Another official even
\nsaid that he had been informed about the structural weakness of
\nthe bridge in 2001, and that at least 25 bridges in Java needed
\nimmediate repairs. He also said Cipunagara bridge was scheduled
\nto be renovated in 2006.<\/p>\n
The officials' strategy in responding to the accident varied
\nfrom citing repair plans for the collapsed bridge to stepping up
\ninspection and supervision at the local weighing station to
\nprevent the passage of overloaded trucks on the province's roads.<\/p>\n
A few questions, however, need prompt answers:<\/p>\n
First, how could a 24-year-old bridge be considered so old
\nthat its collapse due to an overload would be considered
\nreasonable? Many bridges built under the Dutch colonial
\ngovernment are still standing strong.<\/p>\n
For example, Padangan bridge over the Brantas River in
\nMojokerto, East Java, collapsed in 1991 -- 134 years after it was
\nerected in 1857.<\/p>\n
Detailed technical arguments or rhetoric on the Cipunagara
\nbridge's unexpectedly short life span would only raise more
\nquestions, such as: shouldn't the 24-year-old bridge have lasted
\nlonger, like the centenarian Dutch bridges?<\/p>\n
Second, why were signs warning motorists of the bridge's
\ncondition not installed by the relevant institutions? If warnings
\nhad been provided, truck drivers might have been more heedful of
\ntheir weight load -- and the government would have fulfilled its
\nlegal and moral duties properly.<\/p>\n
Third, if the preventable accident was caused by institutional
\nnegligence, could victims file lawsuits through administrative
\ncourts? If, however, the accident is being considered a force
\nmajeure, like a natural disaster, then who is most responsible
\nfor the accident? The central government or the West Java
\nprovincial government?<\/p>\n
Fourth, how could officials promise to step up monitoring and
\nsupervision at weighing stations?<\/p>\n
Drivers might laugh upon hearing of such a plan, as weighing
\nstations are known to have been operating on bribes for decades.
\nAlthough traffic regulations stipulate the compulsory weighing of
\nall trucks for both road maintenance and safety purposes, most
\ntruck drivers stop at weighing stations only to give money to the
\nofficers in charge and continue their journey without having had
\ntheir loaded trucks weighed.<\/p>\n
Accidents always leave behind pain -- and lessons to be
\nlearned. The Cipunagara accident has left people in pain,
\nespecially the family and friends of those injured, the cattle
\nfarmer who lost his livestock, trucking companies, distributors
\nand their clients -- that is, the general public, who deserve
\nbetter services as taxpayers.<\/p>\n
The lesson from the accident is clear: Rampant bribery is
\nrendering public services either lax or nonexistent, to the
\ndetriment of people's safety and well being.<\/p>\n
Road safety is still far from becoming a reality, and it
\nappears responsibility, integrity and dignity does not constitute
\nattributes of self-worth among many of our officials.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/lessons-from-cipunagara-bridge-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}