Busway highlights urban woes: Observers

Busway highlights urban woes: Observers

Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Public euphoria toward the busway during its two-week free trial
period may well be a reflection of some of Jakarta's social
problems, such as the lack of public space and high level of
unemployment, an observer has said.

The trial period was criticized by other observers as making
it difficult to evaluate objectively the busway's initial purpose
of encouraging private car owners to use public transportation,
itself intended to reduce congestion and pollution in the city's
streets.

Sociologist and urban observer Imam B. Prasodjo told The
Jakarta Post on Tuesday that the numerous joyriders willing to
endure the busway's long queues and packed buses during the free
trial period were an indication that they were yearning for more
freely accessible public space where they could relax and become
part of urban culture, rather than merely curious in trying out
something new.

"The busway has become the public space that the city has
failed to provide for its citizens," he said.

According to Imam, the large numbers of joyriders during
working hours could also reflect high levels of unemployment in
the city.

"It is understandable to see parents and children enjoying the
busway at the weekend. But when joyriders still pack the buses
during working hours, that raises questions," he said.

Imam also criticized the city administration's lack of
transparency about the busway project and its seriousness in
promoting it to the public, especially private car owners, if its
goal was indeed to persuade them to switch to public
transportation.

"Instead, the administration will be at the receiving end of
hostility from its own citizens, who consider the busway as just
another corrupt and mismanaged project that causes them
nuisance," he said.

Similar criticism was also made by Irwan Sukatmawijaya, an
executive committee member from the Consumer Protection
organization. He said the administration was not serious enough
in promoting the busway project to the public.

"They should have operated the busway in its entirety, with
the supporting feeder bus services and private car limitation
policies operational at the same time, while fully informing the
public about those as well," he said.

The busway two-week free trial period, Irwan continued, would
not give the public a realistic impression of how the busway
would operate under normal circumstances, or whether it would
indeed resolve the city's traffic and transportation problems.

Meanwhile, transportation expert Ahmad Safrudin also called on
the administration to ensure that the busway be operated and
maintained properly because it was Governor Sutiyoso's "biggest
gamble" to provide a feasible mass rapid transportation system
for the capital.

"If it fails, the public will most likely become even more
indifferent toward any future mass rapid transportation program,"
he said, referring to the city's previously praised system of
air-conditioned Patas (seated-only) city buses, which
subsequently failed due to poor vehicle maintenance after six
months of operation.