City to build primary busway corridors

City to build primary busway corridors

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The city administration has decided to prioritize the development
of six primary busway corridors prior to 2007, instead of 12 as
announced earlier.

"The City Public Works Agency is now studying the planned 12
corridors and will pick six priority corridors as their presence
will make a significant improvement to the whole transportation
system," City Secretary Ritola Tasmaya told The Jakarta Post on
Tuesday.

Ritola did not reveal the reasons behind the scaling down of
the plan, but financing problems were probably one of the causes.
The city administration has halted the construction of the
Pulogadung-Harmoni and Harmoni-Kalideres busway corridors, known
as corridors 2 and 3, due to financial difficulties.

Ritola said that the six priority corridors would be
classified as multi-year projects.

"It means the projects will enjoy continuous financing for
several years from the city budget," he said.

Ritola's statement was in line with the administration's
initial plan stipulated in the Jakarta Transportation Master Plan
(PTM) 2004 made available to the Post.

The plan indicates that the administration will develop seven
busway corridors by 2007.

The corridors will be supported by primary routes served by
buses and secondary routes served by both buses and minibuses.

The master plan also states that the administration will
further extend the project with seven more new routes, which will
be developed after 2007.

Governor Sutiyoso had earlier said that the city
administration would develop 12 busway corridors by 2007, when
his second term ends.

City Public Works Agency head Fodly Misbach said earlier that
the development of the 12 busway corridors would require between
Rp 2.5 trillion (US$275 million) and Rp 3 trillion in investment.

The Jakarta Planning Agency (Bapeda) has been assigned to
prepare budget allocations for the financing of the busway.

Meanwhile, Jakarta Transportation Agency head Rustam Effendy
Sidabutar acknowledged that the administration would find it
difficult to go ahead with the acceleration project, mainly due
to glaring problems in the field.

"We need to widen some roads to be used as busway corridors.
And that's not an easy task to do, especially due to the land
acquisition issue," Rustam said.

Many of the city's projects have hit snags owing to land
acquisition problems, like the development of East Flood Canal,
Pulogebang bus terminal.

The administration has allocated more than Rp 500 billion from
its 2005 city budget for the establishment of two busway
corridors, which will connect Pulogadung in East Jakarta with
Harmoni in Central Jakarta and Harmoni with Kalideres in West
Jakarta. Both corridors are slated to become operational in
October.

The administration spent at least Rp 240 billion to build the
first busway corridor from Blok M in South Jakarta to Kota in
West Jakarta early last year.

Development of Priority Bus Infrastructure by 2007

Corridors

1. Blok M - Kota

2. Pulogebang - Hotel Indonesia traffic circle

3. Daan Mogot - Juanda

4. Pulogebang - Tanah Abang

5. Kampung Melayu - Ancol

6. Kampung Melayu - Cideng

7. Pasar Minggu - Manggarai

Extended corridors, to be developed between 2007 and 2010

- Kampung Rambutan - Kampung Melayu

- Warung Jati - Menteng

- Tomang - Harmoni - Pasar Baru

- Cakung/Pulo Gebang - Kampung Melayu

- Senayan - Pejompongan

- Lebak Bulus - Kebayoran Lama

- Cawang - Ciledug

Source: Jakarta Transportation System Master Plan 2004 (PTM)