Daily commute can affect mental health
JAKARTA (JP): Eddi wakes up at 4:30 every morning to catch the 5:30 a.m. train to Jakarta from his house in Serpong, 30 kilometers west of here.
He usually arrives at the Tanah Abang railway station in Central Jakarta at 7:00 a.m, and takes a bus to his office on Jl. Gatot Subroto in South Jakarta.
If he manages a seat on the train, he makes the most of it and sleeps.
"If I don't sleep, I'm sleepy at work. That means I won't be able to do my typing job well," says Eddi.
Disagreeing that commuting and work proficiency is linked, psychologist Dewi S. Matindas says there is no direct link between commuting and working effectively.
"Effectiveness at work relies more on someone's character and motivation," she argues.
"Especially for work that doesn't require physical activity, there is no direct link," Dewi insists.
Fatigue caused by commuting, however, can effect someone's mental health. People who are over tired tend to become angry and tense easily, she explains.
The physical exhaustion caused by commuting can effect concentration, accuracy and meticulousness. Workers, like technicians who install minute parts or a typists like Eddi, are even more prone to exhaustion.
Dewi suggests that those whose work requires concentration or physical activity have a drink and a rest for several minutes after their commute.
Dewi says a busy person required to attend meetings in several different places in a day is likely to have problems concentrating. Spending too much time sitting in the city's traffic while attempting to meet a tight schedule heightens the problem.
"Someone rushing to speak at another meeting far from the office and is already late, and then has to face traffic jams and heat, is susceptible to stress and, as a result, might not be able to concentrate," Dewi says.
Fatigue
She points out that driving may also increase fatigue.
"Those who commute long distances from home to work, but take public transportation and can get a short sleep on the way, may not be too tired at work," she says.
Zoemrotin K. Susilo, chairwoman of the Indonesian Consumers Protection Agency, says commuting affects efficiency.
"If Jakarta's human resources cannot work effectively, whether they are civil servants or not, it is a big disadvantage to the state because they're actually the country's assets," Zoemrotin argues, echoing the government's line.
She blames the problem on flawed city planning that forces people to commute every day.
"The ideal situation would be to have housing complexes near working places. And, the housing complexes must cater to various social classes, from the upper to lower because all kinds of workers need houses," she says.
Housing complexes and apartments located near working centers are now exclusively for the wealthy. Consequently, everyone else must live in the suburbs, far from their place of work.
Since her ideal condition is far from reality, Dewi says the government should implement effective public transportation and build safe parking lots at terminals.
"Build a parking lot near Depok railway station so those who have private cars can park their cars there and then go to Jakarta by train. It reduces traffic and the use of fuel," she explains. (als)