Carmakers asked to help finance city road projects

Carmakers asked to help finance city road projects

JAKARTA (JP): Car producers should participate in building roads in an effort to overcome Jakarta's traffic problems, an official said yesterday.

Head of the greater Jakarta area development cooperation, Andjat Lamey, said that private companies should help the government build facilities because the city administration's budget does not completely cover such projects.

He said the government faces a myriad of problems and as its funds are limited it should develop the areas considered most important.

"The problem cannot be solved without a helping hand from private companies, including carmakers," he said.

The companies can help speed up the development of roads in the city through various ways, he added. "They have profited from selling vehicles, why don't they set aside some of the profit for road repairs?"

He said the chaotic traffic in the city has resulted from private companies further developing established areas.

"The government should build facilities in those areas first to accommodate development, and neglect other areas," he said.

For instance, he said, the city administration prioritized the building of a flyover and an underpass on Jl. Jend. Sudirman to accommodate the rapid growth of the area as the city's main business center.

As a consequences the development of infrastructure in other areas such as in Grogol, West Jakarta, and on Jl. Gunung Sahari, Central Jakarta, were neglected.

"Flyovers or underpasses are also needed in those areas but they have to wait because there are more important places," he said, adding that traffic in the two places worsens daily.

A recent study shows that the number of people moving between Blok M and Kota, through Jl. Jend. Sudirman, by various means of transport during peak hours exceeds 32,000 per hour.

Andjat also said car companies would be the parties who benefit from improved traffic conditions because people would then not hesitate to buy new cars.

"I think people would not think twice about buying another car if the traffic was better," he said.

The increase in the number of vehicles in the city reaches 14 percent per year compared to only 4 percent per day for road growth.

The city administration has been trying to overcome the traffic problems by building various facilities such as flyovers and underpasses.

The municipality needs to build about 200 flyovers and underpasses throughout the city. It also plans to provide a mass rapid transit system. (yns)