Central Java road project blamed for traffic accidents
Central Java road project blamed for traffic accidents
Bambang Tiong, The Jakarta Post, Klaten
KLATEN, Central Java (JP): Many have blamed slow completion of a road improvement project along the 17-kilometer Prambanan- Tegalgondo road for the increased number of traffic accidents there.
A total of 37 people were killed and 369 others injured in 264 traffic accidents along the highway from March 2000 to September 2001, according to data from the traffic unit at Klaten police station.
Of the non-fatal cases, 177 were seriously injured.
The figure has increased from around 20 fatalities and 140 injured in 200 traffic accidents from September 1998 to March 2000.
The project is part of ongoing repair work to the Yogyakarta- Surakarta highway, which is being carried out by state-owned construction company PT Bina Marga.
Teddy Hamdany, a local executive of PT Bina Marga, rejected the sharp criticism, saying that the accidents had nothing to do with the ongoing project.
"It's not true. We've had many weaknesses (in carrying out the project) but they are not that extreme," he said here recently.
Teddy was referring to the extended timetable for the Rp 49.2 billion project, originally slated to be completed last month.
"In fact, as of September 2001, only 65 percent of the project was complete. That's why the project has been rescheduled and it is expected to finish next April," he said.
Teddy conceded that many factors had forced PT Bina Marga to extend the project to April 2002. He cited that traffic congestion along the highway was the main factor hindering PT Bina Marga in completing the project. "Besides, PT Bina Marga also had to redesign numerous bridges and appropriate 20,000 square meters of land for the road and bridge enhancement project, and all this took a considerable time," he said.
Consequently, he said, a bumpy road surface, potholes here and there, and piles of road construction material have been common along the highway for the last 18 months.
He denied that traffic jams, slow-moving traffic and one-way traffic along many parts of the highway had caused the high number of traffic accidents since the project had started.
Teddy insisted that most accidents occurred mainly due to other factors, such as reckless driving and heavy traffic.
The local highway transportation and traffic office (DLLAJR) was also of the opinion that the increased number of traffic accidents had nothing to do with the project.
In 1998, for example, the office noted, only around 33,000 vehicles used the road per day. "Later, the number rose to 39,900 in 2000 and around 43,890 this year," said a DLLAJR employee, who asked to remain anonymous.
"What I suggest is that the increased number of vehicles has caused the increase in traffic accidents along the highway," Teddy said.
Chief of the traffic unit of Klaten Police First Insp. Rakhmat Hakim contended, however, that the increased number of traffic accidents had a lot to do with the project.
"While it's true that motorists have not directly hit piles of construction materials on the road, they have nonetheless been involved in accidents caused by dangerous driving due to the absence of adequate warning signs along those parts of the road under repair," he said.
Both Teddy and Rahmat, however, agreed that something had to be done to reduce the number of traffic accidents along the road. Otherwise, more accidents would occur in the very near future, especially before and after Idul Fitri and Christmas.
Millions of motorists are expected to use the Yogyakarta- Surakarta highway to travel to other cities and villages in the province and toward East Java.