Another busway corridor

Another busway corridor

The Jakarta administration's decision to set up another busway
corridor, from Pulo Gadung in East Jakarta to Kalideres in West
Jakarta via Monas in Central Jakarta, has drawn various
reactions.

Some people are of the view that the plan to construct the new
busway route deserves support. Others, however, say that the
problems with the existing route from Blok M to Kota should be
dealt with first before expanding the system.

Those who support the idea -- the city officials among them --
believe that the busway system will help ease the traffic along
those routes. The system is faster than any other means of public
transport available at present, so the city needs more busway
corridors, especially for routes that are severely congested, so
they argue.

On the other hand, those who do not agree with the expansion
of the system argue that the problems brought about by the
existing busway infrastructure have yet to be dealt with
properly.

The routes to and from Pulo Gadung and Kalideres are congested
each day, and -- considering the Blok M - Kota experience -- the
skeptics fear that the new busway corridor will cause new
problems.

According to Bambang Susanto, the secretary-general of the
Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia-Pacific, there are
several problems relating to safety and security, reliability and
affordability of the transJakarta bus system that need to be
assessed before more are built.

Security and punctuality are the most important factors that
can persuade people to keep commuting on the new buses.

It is interesting to recall Governor Sutiyoso's remark that
the busway would not solve the city's chaotic traffic jams. The
governor has also said that the busway system would put the
administration's reputation at stake.

But those among us who have lived in Jakarta since the 1970s
will readily acknowledge that traffic was already chaotic even
then. However, things have grown worse over the past couple of
decades, in step with the rapidly increasing number of vehicles,
a fact that neither the central government nor the Jakarta
provincial administration seem to be able to contain.

The increases in population, which have led to the decrease of
space available for the building of new roads, is another serious
problem. Unfortunately, law enforcement has been very weak.

The phenomenal increase in the number of private cars in
recent years could be seen as an accomplishment by the car
retailers in their bid to fulfill the people's demand for
independent and safe transportation. Prestige is another reason
people prefer private cars.

Sutiyoso has acknowledged that the increased use of private
cars is a reflection of the public's pressing need for a public
transportation network that meets the minimal standards of
cleanliness, comfort and safety.

In the meantime, while waiting for the most appropriate mode
of public transportation to be put in place for the capital
city's more than nine million people, the busway system can be
considered a breakthrough.

Everybody agrees that Jakarta desperately needs a mass rapid
transit system. Unfortunately, nobody seems to be able to
determine what kind of system would be the most appropriate for
Jakarta.

The city administration is facing many constraints, especially
those of a financial or socio-cultural nature, and it does not
have the money to do what needs to be done. Besides, it is not
easy to find space for the construction of infrastructure such as
is needed for a subway or an overhead monorail system.

But whatever people may say, it seems that the city
administration is determined that the 33 kilometers of new busway
corridors must begin construction next month and become
operational by April 2005.

The expansion of the busway system reflects the
administration's serious efforts to solve one aspect of Jakarta's
traffic problems, but its record of tackling the core problems
remains poor.

At least Rp 600 billion (about US$67.4 million) is needed for
the new busway corridor project. That amount includes the
purchase of 187 buses.

As it is a giant project involving a huge amount of money,
transparence in the drawing up of business plans that involve the
private sector is a must. To eliminate or, at the every least,
reduce the possibility of malfeasance, open and fair bidding for
the project is imperative.