'Busway project need broader public participation'
'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.