Crazy bikers pose busway danger

Crazy bikers pose busway danger

Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Pedestrians are worried motorcyclists will misuse the sloping
ramps on the bridges over the busway corridor to make U-turns,
thus endangering their safety.

"I'm worried motorcyclists will use the ramps to cross the
street," said Dadang, who was using a bridge in front of Ratu
Plaza in South Jakarta to cross Jl. Sudirman on Wednesday
morning.

In a city still trying to uphold discipline on the streets
among its citizens, motorcyclists often take advantage of
pedestrian bridges to cross streets and make U-turns.

A total of 16 pedestrian bridges over the planned
12.9 kilometer-long busway corridor from Blok M in South Jakarta
to Kota in West Jakarta are being constructed.

They are equipped with ramps made of steel frames and
corrugated stainless steel floors, connecting them to the bus
shelters and the east and west sidewalks.

Some two meter-wide ramps, which have been built with a
relatively gentle slope along the zigzagging double-stack
structure of about 30 meters, could tempt opportunistic
motorcyclists.

Agung S., a Jakarta transportation agency officer who was at
the busway shelter in front of Ratu Plaza on Wednesday, tried to
reassure pedestrians that their fears were unfounded.

"There will be four civilian guards in each bus shelter ... ,"
he said.

Several civilian guards were seen guarding bus shelters that
were having the finishing touches put on them, but it is unclear
if their duties will include guarding the ramps from being
misused by motorcyclists.

But some pedestrians may be willing to cede control of the
ramps to the motorcyclists and stick to the stairs.

Nani, a housewife from East Jakarta, appeared to be out of
breath and sweating when she stepped down from the east ramp of
the pedestrian bridge in front of Ratu Plaza, complaining that it
was more tiring to use the ramp than the stairs.

Edo, a student crossing the pedestrian bridge in front of Bank
Indonesia on Jl. Thamrin, said he did not like the ramps.

"These zigzagging ramps just make it longer and farther for us
to walk," he said.

Based on some unscientific research, The Jakarta Post found
that it took almost twice as long to cross pedestrian bridges
with ramps than those with stairs.

However, not all busway shelters have ramps. The one in front
of the National Museum on Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat in Central
Jakarta does not have a pedestrian bridge, but only a zebra
crossing.

As for the shelter in front of the Sarinah department store on
Jl. Thamrin in Central Jakarta, it will use elevators instead of
ramps.

The middle ramp for the Sarinah shelter will also be provided
with a roof, like the ramps for the bridges at Harmoni and in
front of Gajah Mada Plaza, both in Central Jakarta, which also
have connecting bridges over the river that crosses in front of
the shelters.

The city administration said the construction of 23 shelters
along the busway corridor was completed on Dec. 18, with only one
ramp still under construction. The busway itself will open on
Jan. 15.

The Rp 117 billion (US$13.76 million) project is an ambitious
effort by Governor Sutiyoso to get people out of their cars and
onto public transportation.

After visiting Bogota, which successfully implemented its own
busway system, Sutiyoso wanted all the bus shelters to be
designed exactly like the ones in the capital of Colombia.

In all of the shelters, ticketing machines, made in Colombia,
have been installed.