Pedicabs still needed in Bintaro Jaya<\/p>\n
By Arief Suditomo<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The becak (pedicabs) still provide a valuable
\nmeans of transportation for residents in Bintaro Jaya although
\ntheir presence has now begun to irritate the real estate
\nmanagement and motorists.<\/p>\n
\"We recognize that they are providing a useful alternative
\nmeans of transportation for people in Bintaro Jaya,\" S. Purwanto,
\nthe Chief of Bintaro Jaya Environmental Dept., said in an
\ninterview with The Jakarta Post yesterday.<\/p>\n
Bintaro Jaya, in the southern outskirts of Jakarta, is one of
\nthe fastest growing areas in the metropolitan city. Only Bintaro
\nJaya Sector I and part of Sector II are located in Jakarta, where
\nthe becak has been officially banned since 1991. Sectors III to
\nIX fall within the Tangerang jurisdiction and therefore becak are
\nstill permitted to roam the streets.<\/p>\n
Purwanto dismissed the argument put forth by some motorists
\nthat the notorious traffic congestion in Bintaro Jaya was
\nattributed to the uncontrollable presence of the becak.<\/p>\n
Purwanto blamed the congestion on the fact that residents from
\nneighboring real estates are using Bintaro Jaya every day as
\ntheir access route to and from their homes.<\/p>\n
\"There are 38 housing estates which use our main roads as a
\nroute to reach town. This contributes to the traffic problems in
\nthe Bintaro area, not the becak,\" Purwanto said.<\/p>\n
The Becak, which provides a convenient and cheap means of
\ntransportation for short distance, was phased out from Jakarta
\nbecause its presence was considered a major traffic nightmare.<\/p>\n
Many residents in Bintaro Jaya use the becak to send their
\nchildren to school, to get to the supermarkets, or visit friends
\nwithin the real estate complex.<\/p>\n
Bintaro Jaya, which is owned by PT. Jaya Real Property, is a
\nvast real estate spread over 900 hectares of land. Approximately
\n7,205 houses have so far been built on a 500-hectare area,
\nhousing more than 35,000 people.<\/p>\n
Purwanto admitted that the real estate management has a
\nproblem with the presence of the becak because they could not be
\nmanaged or controlled.<\/p>\n
Many of the becak drivers use the parks, painstakingly cared
\nfor and tended by the real estate management, as their hangout
\nplace.<\/p>\n
\"They often park their becak on our gardens and parks which
\nare off limits to people except for the gardeners,\" Purwanto
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Bintaro Jaya real estate management once tried to coordinate
\nand manage the becak, even distributing uniforms the drivers, but
\nthe program failed because becak drivers are mostly seasonal
\nworkers, he said.<\/p>\n
\"There were times when we had so many of them, and there were
\nalso times when we could hardly find one,\" he said<\/p>\n
Rudi Hartono, one of Purwanto's staff, added that the becak
\ndrivers also refused to be managed because they were suspicious
\nof the company's intentions.<\/p>\n
\"They suspect that if we manage them and start allocating
\nspace for their operation, it will be easier for city security
\nand order officers to come and seize them,\" Rudi said.<\/p>\n
Becak drivers interviewed separately did not take too kindly
\nto the accusation that they were causing the traffic jams in
\nBintaro Jaya.<\/p>\n
Sunarto, a becak driver from Tegal, Central Java, who has been
\nworking in the area since 1984, said, \"How could we create a
\ntraffic jam. There are less than 100 becak here.\"<\/p>\n
His colleague Supandi, also from Tegal, added that as becak
\ndrivers rarely use the main roads it was inconceivable that they
\nshould be blamed for the traffic jams.<\/p>\n
Supandi said becak drivers avoid the main roads because they
\ncannot compete with the cheaper and faster minibuses.<\/p>\n
Another colleague, Jati, said the Jakarta security and order
\nunit, which frequently came to the area preying on becak drivers,
\nacts beyond its authority.<\/p>\n
\"They still chase us knowing that we are operating in
\nTangerang, where the becak is still permitted,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pedicabs-still-needed-in-bintaro-jaya-1447893297",
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