'Busway project need broader public participation'

Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The controversial busway project is likely to be postponed until at least the end of this year as more time is needed to disseminate information about the program and to ensure wider public participation, a police official and activist said here on Wednesday.

They were commenting on the busway project after returning from Bogota, Columbia, where they joined a comparative study in busway systems.

The other busway team members, including chairwoman D.A. Rini, went to London to continue the comparative study.

Head of traffic development at the National Police, Sr. Comr. Endro Agung said that at least three years were needed to disseminate information to the public about the busway.

"Besides the campaign, the project also needs wider public participation," Endro told reporters after attending a meeting at the Jakarta Transportation Agency office in Central Jakarta.

Endro said a similar busway program which currently runs well in Bogota was discussed with the public for four years before it was implemented three years ago.

Agency head Rustam Effendy admitted on Wednesday that the project, which is estimated to cost Rp 85 billion, needed more time for a public information campaign.

"So far we've campaigned for the project for less than two years. So I agree that it needs more time," Rustam told reporters.

The launch of the project which was designed in 2000 by transportation experts from Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University, has been postponed twice due to lack of financial support and public awareness.

Many observers have argued that the busway system which would be applied along the main city thoroughfares of Jl. Jend. Sudirman and Jl. MH. Thamrin, would only worsen the traffic congestion.

The administration had recently painted red squares along the main roads designating bus stops and installed shelters and signs for the project. The buses will use the fast lane of the roads.

The one-week workshop in Bogota, which was organized by the International Transportation Development Program, was also attended by officials from the transportation agency and activists from the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) and the Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta).

Separately, Fakta chairman Azas Tigor Nainggolan, who attended the workshop in Bogota, urged the administration to postpone the project.

"The project should be canceled and redesigned from scratch with wider public involvement," Tigor told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

He said the busway project could not be separated from the whole transportation system in the city, saying that the city should allow non-motorized vehicles, such as bicycles and pedicabs, to operate in the city.

He said the administration should also limit the age of vehicles allowed on the city's streets to reduce traffic jams.

"The city should also provide wide sidewalks if the project is to be continued. So it's not only about the project," Tigor said.