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.