Busway passengers to have parking lot

Damar Harsanto, Jakarta

The Jakarta administration plans to transform the old compound of the South Jakarta municipal administration on Jl. Trunojoyo, South Jakarta, to a parking area for busway passengers.

"We find it difficult to allocate space for a parking area in Blok M due to spatial limitations. Fortunately, we learned that we could utilize the compound for that purpose," assistant to the city secretary for development affairs, IGKG Suena, said on Thursday.

The administration has long sought a strategic parking lot as supporting infrastructure for the busway project, which is known as the "park-and-ride traffic scheme".

The scheme aims to encourage motorists to ride the busway rather than drive their own car. The existing 12.9-kilometer busway corridor stretches from Blok M to Kota in West Jakarta.

The administration has provided a parking area for busway passengers at the Electronics Trade Center in Glodok, West Jakarta.

"We expect the construction of the new parking lot to start in 2005," Suena said, adding that the administration would first conduct a feasibility study.

He said the administration would invite private investors to take part in the project.

However, councillor Totok Ismunandar from Commission D for development affairs, rejected the plan, arguing that it would not be feasible.

"I don't think the location is strategic. Besides, there has been no feasibility study of that location, nor an environmental impact analysis (Amdal). If the administration insisted upon using the complex as a parking area, many problems would result," he asserted.

Totok warned that the compound was too close to the National Police Headquarters. He said that it would put the administration at risk amid security concerns related to a string of bombings in the Greater Jakarta area, the last of which was in Cimanggis on May 21. The location is also adjacent to the compound of the ASEAN secretariat.

"We should also keep in mind that there are many traffic lights and intersections in the area. The existence of the parking area would only worsen congestion there," he said.

He added that the nearest busway stop to the location is over 200 meters away in front of Al Azhar mosque.

To date, most of the municipal administration officials are occupying the new building on Jl. Prapanca, which is about one kilometer away from the old compound. The others are still waiting for the construction of the new office to be completed.