2005: Tough year for motorists and commuters alike

2005: Tough year for motorists and commuters alike

Bambang Nurbianto
The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Throughout 2005, the passage of motorists and commuters on many
of Jakarta's streets has often been disrupted by transportation
projects that only worsen traffic congestion.

Those traveling from Pulogadung bus terminal in East Jakarta
to Kalideres in West Jakarta, for example, are obviously
frustrated by the construction of busway corridor II from
Pulogadung to Harmoni in Central Jakarta and corridor III from
Harmoni to Kalideres.

Travelers from Lebak Bulus or Pondok Indah in South Jakarta to
Senayan or Palmerah in Central Jakarta have to deal with traffic
congestion created by the construction of the Kebayoran Lama
underpass.

Even the monorail project has been a headache for commuters in
the capital. PT Jakarta Monorail, which was awarded the project,
has started construction on Jl. Casablanca and Jl. Rasuna Said in
South Jakarta and Jl. Asia Afrika in Central Jakarta. Very often,
construction work worsens traffic jam in the areas.

All of this construction is aimed at improving the flow of
traffic and creating a comfortable and convenient transportation
system in the capital.

If past experience serves as a guide, one can say that the
such projects may not always resolve the city's notorious traffic
jams. A case in point is the Pondok Indah underpass. The project
was undertaken to ease traffic bottlenecks at a busy intersection
in Pondok Indah, but congestion remains even though the underpass
is already in use.

Head of Jakarta Transportation Agency Nurachman admitted that
there was no significant improvement in the transportation sector
this year as many of projects were long-term projects.

"We should be patient because it takes time to resolve
transportation problems. We hope that things will be better next
year as several projects are expected to be completed, including
busway corridors II and III," said Nurachman recently.

Transportation experts have long advised the city to develop a
mass rapid transit system that includes a subway, railways,
monorails and a busway in order to resolve chronic traffic
congestion in the capital.

Transportation experts argue that a mass rapid transit system
not only provides better service to urban travelers but is also
more environmentally friendly.

The presence of comfortable, reliable, affordable and safe
MRTs, they argue, is expected to encourage private car users, who
are dominating Jakarta's streets, to shift to public
transportation.

Keeping private cars off the streets would ease traffic jams
and reduce air pollution in the capital, which is the World's
third most polluted city after Mexico City and Bangkok.

According to environmentalists, 70 percent of air pollution in
the capital is due to vehicular emissions.

The number of private vehicles running in the capital has
reached around four million, while the number of public
transportation vehicles is less than 100,000.

The city administration has actually drawn up several public
transportation projects aimed at resolving traffic congestion in
the capital. These include busway or bus rapid transit (BRT),
subway, commuter train and monorail.

It seems, however, the city administration is focusing its
attention on the development of busway corridors. Currently, the
city only operates 75 buses along the 12.9-kilometer corridor of
the first BRT from Blok M to Kota.

The buses are considered to have met the minimal standards of
public transportation, that is they are secure, safe, reliable,
affordable and comfortable for passengers.

Governor Sutiyoso, who seems to be bent on being crowned as
Jakarta's father of transportation, has said that the city would
go ahead with its public transportation projects, particularly
its busway program. He asserted that his busway project was a
success in terms of providing commuters with better public
transportation.

"We are on the right tract. I believe that our busway project
is the solution to the transportation problems, But we must be
patient," said the governor recently.

Sutiyoso's seriousness in the development of the busway
project was seen in the increase in the budget allocations for
the project. The city allocated some Rp 140 billion (US$14
million) in 2004 as compared to Rp 510 billion in 2005, and he
has proposed Rp 876.70 billion for the four busway corridor
projects in 2006.

The four will be from Pulogadung to Hotel Indonesia in Central
Jakarta, from Kampung Melayu in East Jakarta to Ancol in North
Jakarta, from Ragunan in South Jakarta to Jl. Imam Bonjol in
Central Jakarta and from Kampung Rambutan in East Jakarta to
Kampung Melayu.

Data from busway management BP TransJakarta showed that when
busway corridor I was launched in early 2004, it only took some
20,000 passengers each day. Now, there are over 70,000 travelers
using the busway every day.