Busway passengers to have parking lot
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.