1,361 vehicles to be deployed for SEA Games
1,361 vehicles to be deployed for SEA Games
JAKARTA (JP): The 19th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games organizing
committee's transportation department and the City Land
Transportation Agency will provide 1,361 vehicles for the
biennial event in October.
The committee's transportation deputy, HM Sjahli Siregar, said
yesterday that the consortium, chaired by President Soeharto's
son Bambang Trihatmodjo, would provide the vehicles.
"The agency won't provide the vehicles because they are being
provided by the consortium. The only money we have to spend is to
pay for toll roads and stickers which is Rp 137,678,000
(US$57,366)," he said.
The agency will operate 358 air-conditioned buses to pick up
and drop athletes from the athletes village and the Hotel Atlet
Century Park in Senayan to venues.
Most athletes will stay at the 40-story athletes village,
which can accommodate nearly 3,000 athletes. The building will
later be turned into a five-star hotel.
Some officials will stay at the Century Park hotel and
referees will stay in hotels around Senayan.
Sjahli said some of the agency's 286 employees would organize
the vehicles.
"My staff will stay in the hotels to arrange faster and easier
schedules," he said.
The agency will also arranges 395 unairconditioned buses which
will be used to pick up students for the opening and closing
ceremonies.
Two-hundred-and-eighty 12-person vans will be transport
organizers, referees, doping officials, catering team and the
press.
To carry bicycles, traditional dragon boats, kayaks and other
equipment from Sukarno-Hatta airport and Tanjung Priok seaport,
the organizers will provide 36 pick-up trucks, 54 trucks and 10
trailers. The trucks will also be used to carry musical
instruments for the ceremonies.
Twenty four small trucks cars will carry athletes suitcases
and bags from the airport to the athletes village.
The consortium will also provide 204 luxury sedans for VIP and
VVIP guests during the Games, which start on Oct. 10 and end on
Oct. 19.
Two helicopters will be provided to observe some race events,
including the Individual Time Trial cycling on the Cikampek toll
road.
Sjahli said the transportation department would start picking
10 participating country contingents a week before the opening
ceremony.
Sjahli said the agency had not set up buses on special routes
to the venues, which are mostly in Senayan, from some terminals
like Blok M, Grogol and Pulo Gadung.
"Unfortunately we don't provide special route buses. But the
agency will arrange it so that every bus, which passes Jl.
Sudirman, passes the Senayan sports complex," he said.
"We provide shuttle buses from the village and the hotel to
every venue at Senayan," he said.
Sjahli urged athletes and officials to walk to the opening
ceremony.
"It's very close so we ask them to walk. I'm afraid if we
provide buses, there will be traffic jams around Senayan," he
said.
The agency will provide a handbook to all participants and
spectators about bus routes, destinations and distances of venues
and other tourists sites, including Jakarta's major shopping
centers. (yan)