Simple traffic solution<\/p>\n
I refer to June 1, 1995, article about curbing vehicles in
\nJakarta. In the 1970s, Sao Paulo experienced a construction boom
\nlike Jakarta is experiencing now. If you are in Jakarta high rise
\nbuilding, just look outside the window and see the amount of
\ncranes on the landscape. Sao Paulo's city administration went to
\nthe standard imported solution: throw money at the problem.<\/p>\n
However, no amount of new overpasses, bridges, tunnels,
\navenues, subway systems or regulations prevented the clogging of
\nS. Paulo's traffic. Twenty-five years later they are still
\nstruggling with chaotic traffic.<\/p>\n
People will leave their cars at home only if efficient public
\ntransport is available. An efficient public transport system it
\nis not the Flash Gordon-type solution such as suspended rail or
\nultra modern subway. It can be a simple solution and it has been
\ndone successfully in Brazil itself.<\/p>\n
In Curitiba -- a city of 1.6 million inhabitants 400
\nkilometers south of S. Paulo -- the local government opted for a
\nlow-cost decentralized solution. It designed a master plan, where
\narticulated buses run non-stop from terminals in the outskirts of
\nthe city to downtown via special bus lanes. Feeder routes using
\nstandard buses spread from terminals outside the city.<\/p>\n
Along the bus lanes circulate normal buses making the stop and
\ngo journey for passengers dropping in between. There are no
\nconductors on the buses. Passengers pay their fare before
\nboarding the buses to increase passenger throughput. Fares are
\nnormally paid with tokens which can be purchased at pharmacies,
\nnews stands, banks, etc. A specially designed shelter makes the
\nbus stops comfortable. Owing to the Brazilian trademark lack of
\ndiscipline, curbs between the bus and the car lanes prevent cars
\nfrom invading the lane. (A 650 HP 100-passenger articulated bus
\ntraveling at high speed also helps).<\/p>\n
Inter-district buses drive in between places where terminals
\ndon't exist to avoid changing buses during a long journey. Now 28
\npercent of the passenger traffic is of people who previously
\ncommuted by car. A tri-articulated bus for 270 passengers is now
\nbeing tested. The government only oversees the system, it is
\noperated by private companies.<\/p>\n
Jakarta authorities don't need to implement the full blown
\nsystem to see how and if it will work. Give it a trial like New
\nYork City did. Choose a special route, put a terminal tube with a
\nconductor in it, get an articulated bus and have a go at it. The
\ncomplete system -- articulated buses and shelter -- can be
\nmanufactured here in Indonesia. The Angkutan Kota's drivers would
\nnot lose their livelihood. They could be the feeders to the
\nterminals and be banned from downtown.<\/p>\n
Throwing brains at a problem can beat throwing money at one.<\/p>\n
OSVALDO COELHO<\/p>\n
Bandung, West Java<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/simple-traffic-solution-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }