Chaotic traffic conditions in Depok

Chaotic traffic conditions in Depok

From Kompas

Traffic conditions in Depok, West Java, one of the capital city's dormitory towns 35 kilometers to the south, have reached a critical point. This is a direct result of the burgeoning of new housing complexes and shopping centers.

The banks along the Ciliwung River (which runs through Puncak, Bogor and Jakarta) are not spared. Bulldozers have been at work to clear the land for yet another housing development. This is in sharp contrast to the efforts being made in Jakarta to clear illegal dwellings along rivers.

The road from densely populated Central and East Depok to the main road, Jl. Margonda Raya has not changed over the years. It is the only road and has not been widened despite increasingly larger traffic volume. It is not clear when the planned access road, cutting straight through the area, will be built. It is clear, however, that the location earmarked for the access road (on the west bank of the Ciliwung) has already been acquired by a new housing developer.

As a Depok resident, who is compelled to endure the lengthy daily traffic jams, I wonder what the town's development policy is. And which is the responsible agency for Depok's development?

AGUS SETYANTO

Depok, West Java