As free as motorcyclists

As free as motorcyclists

Drivers in Jakarta need to be even more heedful and patient on
the streets these days as they are full of speeding motorcyclists
who invariably violate almost every traffic regulation that
exists. Worse, most motorcyclists exhibit a strange habit of
protesting or challenging car drivers who are just upset due to
their dangerous behavior and maneuvers on the street.

Crossroads are now becoming danger zones as motorcyclists
usually go straight through the red light, braving the flow of
vehicles from the other direction. Drivers must be also more
careful even driving in the correct lane as there are times when
a speeding motorcycle suddenly appears from the opposite
direction in the same lane.

Saturday night has become a special night out for
motorcyclists who join clubs according to the make of their
motorbike. They usually ride in a large group around the city,
challenging the traffic by making a road block so cars cannot
enter. The motorcyclists are usually angry if a driver honks the
horn in protest over their behavior.

The city streets totaling less than 8,000 kilometers in length
are crowded by at least 2.5 million motorcycles. A Jakarta-based
daily reported the other day that Jakarta is fast becoming city
of motorcycles. It's true that the growing number of motorcycles
in the capital has become unexpectedly significant.

Financial reasons seem to motivate people to buy a motorcycle.
An office boy of a private company said he had just bought a
Japanese motorcycle, worth around Rp 12 million, with only Rp
250,000 as a down payment. Several showrooms in Jakarta even
offer credit without a down payment.

Riding a motorcycle is much more economical than taking public
transportation. With only two liters of fuel (worth less then Rp
5,000), a man living in the town of Tangerang, for instance, can
ride to work and back. Motorcycles have also proven the most
practical and stealthiest way to crisscross through the congested
streets. Using a motorcycle to go to work is also seen as a way
to be independent, as one can leave whenever one wants to without
having to wait for public transportation, which is seen as
uncomfortable and unsafe.

The problem now is the fact that motorcycles have become
troublesome to other motorists. Motorcyclists' unpredictable
maneuvers, which have frequently caused accidents -- some of them
fatal -- pose a serious problem to drivers. No wonder car drivers
were glad to hear about the proposal to make special lanes for
motorcycles. So far, motorcycles have been restricted from
entering the fast lanes on thoroughfares Jl. Sudirman and Jl.
Thamrin.

It was Sr. Comr. Djoko Susilo, chief of the Jakarta Traffic
Police division who proposed a special lane for motorcycles. The
motorcycle lanes are expected to make the traffic more orderly
and at the same time help traffic police uphold regulations.
"The small fines fail to deter traffic violators and yet make
motorcyclists repeat the offense," said Djoko.

While official discussions among relevant institutions have
yet to take place and a public debate on the plan is not in the
minds of city decision makers, Head of Jakarta Ground
Transportation Agency Rustam Effendi has expressed disagreement
with the proposed motorcycle lane. He argues that there is no
space for the lanes. The existing streets would become narrower
once the motorcycle lanes are made, he argues.

Motorcycle lanes are actually only part of a grand scenario to
make Jakarta traffic more humane. Motorcycle lanes will mean
nothing if law enforcement remains limp.

As many say that the damage has been done, the only remedy to
the existing chaotic transportation system in Jakarta is the
establishment of an appropriate mass rapid transit (MRT) system.
However, the administration prefers toll road construction to
establishing an MRT system. The city managers are obviously
unaware that constructing new toll roads will only let
motorcycles flock the existing non-toll roads.

While Jakartans are puzzled by the administrator's policy on
transportation, they might have been more surprised by Governor
Sutiyoso's response to the significant increase in the number of
motorcycles. "I am concerned (gelisah)," he was quoted as saying
by a local daily. Gelisah can mean worried, anxious, upset,
bothered or disturbed. Whatever the governor meant by that, he
has done nothing to curb the increasing number of motorcycles.

Cooperation is needed with relevant (government) institutions
to control the number of motorcycles, and fines should have been
given on the street once motorcyclists started to be more
aggressively defy regulations.

This all means that the city managers have failed to
demonstrate a proper vision in solving public transportation
problems. And Jakartans will still face the hardship of surviving
wild traffic conditions in the next decade, whereas the
administrator may just say, "I am bothered and concerned".