Bus stops

I am a foreigner in Jakarta on a short-term assignment. I could not help but notice the red squares that began appearing lately on some Jakarta roads. I have always wondered what they are. I am very surprised to learn, after reading your article on Dec. 30 on page 4, that they are actually bus stops.

While the city has done this with good intentions, I doubt this system will work. In fact it may be a hazard to both the passengers and to motorists. If passengers were to get on and off the buses in the fast lanes, how are they supposed to cross the road? I just have this image of groups of people dashing back and forth in front of traffic across Sudirman every few minutes during rush hour.

For every major system that is set up, there need to be other sub-systems to support it. In this case, the sub-systems would be proper crossings like overpasses, traffic lights or at least some zebra crossings.

Anyway, I wish the city luck with the trial this month.

SZE K. HUI, Jakarta