Cycling can save time, money
Urip Hudiono, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Once three office workers held a race to see who could reach home first using different kinds of vehicles.
The first, who worked on Jl. Gatot Subroto, drove a car. The second, whose office is in Kuningan business district, took public transportation, switching between an ojek (motorcycle taxi) and trains. The third, rode a bicycle from his office near the Pancoran overpass.
The distance from their offices in South Jakarta to their housing complex in Ciledug, Tangerang, is approximately the same -- some 25 kilometers -- and they all started at 5 p.m.
The result, however, was not unlike that of the fable of the hare and the tortoise.
"I was already home by 6:15 p.m.," said Taufik, the cyclist. His neighbors, who had taken vehicles that were in theory speedier, arrived more than an hour later.
Taufik, organizer of the Bike to Work event and member of the Jalur Pipa Gas mountain bike club, said the result was not surprising. The city's worsening traffic congestion due to the overuse of motorized vehicles has worsened air pollution.
"It takes around 10 minutes during rush hours on Jl. Sudirman for a driver to inch his car forward a few meters, or for a passenger to wait for a bus to arrive," he said citing a real- life example.
"But a cyclist can travel seven kilometers in the same time from Dukuh Atas railway station to Ratu Plaza shopping mall."
And if time equals money, then cycling to work will certainly cut costs.
"Although the time saved by cycling is similar to using a motorcycle, it's completely the opposite when speaking about maintenance costs," Taufik said.
He said he now only had to take his motorcycle to the garage for an oil change once in two months since he began cycling to work three times a week.
"Previously I had to take my motorcycle to the garage once a month. Maintaining a bicycle is far cheaper," he said, pointing to bigger fuel spending for car owners when their vehicles are trapped in traffic jams.
What is more important, Taufik said, was that being a cyclist meant he helped minimize air pollution in the capital.
Data from the Jakarta Environmental Management Agency (BPLHD) shows that 70 percent of the city's air pollution comes from the vehicle emissions. The city had only 25 days of "good air quality" last year.
These arguments were used by the Bike to Work organization to demand that the city administration provide bicycle lanes in city's streets.
Taufik, however, admitted that practice was necessary to get used to cycling to work.
"People should start by cycling on weekends, then move on to cycling to work once a week, to gradually adjust themselves," he said.
The bicycle one uses is not the main factor in cycling. Although a Rp 60 million (US$6,593) bike with a light-weight frame and state-of-the-art suspension system is a dream to ride, a Rp 250,000 bicycle is more than enough.
"It is more important to know the proper techniques to make our cycling more efficient, as well as to ensure our health and safety," he said.