Busway project should be postponed: Activists

Busway project should be postponed: Activists

Ahmad Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Activists from several non-governmental organizations (NGOs),
a councillor and a police official who recently attended a
transportation workshop in Bogota, Colombia, recommended on
Monday that the city's controversial busway project should be
postponed due to poor preparation.

The demand for the postponement was announced in a press
conference at the conclusion of the workshop which was attended
by Azas Tigor Nainggolan of the Jakarta Residents Forum, Tulus
Abadi of the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) and Jack
Sumabrata of the Pelangi, an NGO focused on environmental issues.

The press conference was also attended by Sr. Comr. Endro
Agung, the head of the traffic division at the National Police
headquarters and councillor Julianson Purba of the Indonesian
Democratic Party of Struggle.

"We urged the administration to redesign the concept of the
busway project. The project should be placed within an integrated
city system," Tigor said.

He revealed that a similar busway project in Bogota was
running quite well, because it was properly planned with the
involvement of public in arranging the concept of the project.

He said the busway system was just one part of an integrated
transportation system in Bogota which also encourages and enables
non-motorized vehicle traffic, such as bicycle paths and
convenient pedestrian walkways.

"The development of the busway project should not be just an
isolated part, it should be part an entire organized system,"
Tigor recommended.

Meanwhile, Tulus of YLKI said the city's partially completed
busway project would just create more transportation problems if
not done properly.

"The project will not be a solution to the city's
transportation problem. It will create new problems," Tulus said.

He added that the project would add to the city's traffic
congestion if it was forcibly applied without repairing other
parts of the transportation system.

Although he agreed with the postponement, councillor Julianson
Purba still hoped that the busway project could be applied in the
city.

"I hope the project can become a reality in the city and
become part of the solution to the city's transportation
problems," Julianson said.

The city allocated Rp 85 billion (US$9.4 million) this year
for the project and has spent Rp 2.7 billion for several signs, a
few bus shelters and the painting of red lanes.

Governor Sutiyoso earlier said the Rp 85 billion would not be
used, but returned to the city budget if the project were
postponed for further study and public dissemination.

The project, which was designed by transportation "experts"
from Yogyakarta-based Gadjah Mada University in 2000, will use
the fast lane along Jl. MH. Thamrin and Jl. Jend. Sudirman, the
city's main thoroughfares in Central Jakarta.

The city earlier planned to try out two buses: a Japanese-made
Hino and a German-made Mercedes, to run on the route last month,
but that too was postponed because the planners forgot about
making the proper modifications to the buses.

According to the project design, it needs at least 50 air-
conditioned buses to serve the route.

Passengers for the buses would be obliged to buy a ticket
which costs about Rp 2,500 a trip.

Bus companies here earlier expressed strong opposition to the
project, saying that it would reduce their income, by taking away
their monopoly.