Green walkways planned for Jl. Daan Mogot

JAKARTA (JP): The West Jakarta mayoralty has allocated Rp 5 billion (US$500,000) to build 14 kilometers of green sidewalks on Jl. Daan Mogot, notorious for its traffic and pollution.

The project is the first of a planned two-phase project on the 23-kilometer road linking Jakarta and Tangerang, West Jakarta Mayor Sutardjianto said over the weekend. It was inspired by a similar project on Jl. Kyai Tapa in West Jakarta.

Officials said the projects were aimed at supporting the government-sponsored national discipline campaign.

The government hopes the sidewalks, lined with shady trees, would conceal the ubiquitous slum areas on both sides of Jl. Daan Mogot.

"There will be green sidewalks like the ones on Jl. Kyai Tapa," Sutardjianto said.

The Rp 5 billion Kyai Tapa walkways, scheduled to be completed this year, are Jakarta's first to use the green concept and are expected to be followed by other local governments throughout Indonesia.

The land that will be used for the four kilometers of Kyai Tapa green sidewalks was once a slum area with more than 300 illegal buildings and crowded with 1,200 sidewalk vendors.

After the land clearance process was completed in 1995, all vendors were moved to nearby traditional markets, the mayor said.

"With this green pedestrian area, people passing along the streets are no longer walking under the blazing sun. They are not allowed to cross the street in the wrong places or dump trash all over the place."

The Kyai Tapa roadside boasts 173 trees with a 12-meter-wide green sidewalk on either side. It has 23 trash bins, eight bus shelters, 88 street lights, 16 pay phones, one pedestrian bridge and one police station.

In the first phase of the Daan Mogot project, 2,000 illegal buildings were cleared from both sides of the road in January.

"Traffic in Daan Mogot is worse than it is in Kyai Tapa. As you know, every day the road is jammed by trucks and other heavy vehicles. Actually it is very difficult to make green sidewalks there.

"But therein lies the challenge. Imagine if finally we could build green areas along the packed road. That is something."

Sutardjianto also said the administration planned to develop a 15-hectare "forest" in Srengseng, which is earmarked as one of the city's environmentally friendly tourist destinations.

Some 10,000 trees have been planted in Srengseng, most of which are fruit trees that could attract birds.

"Inside the forest there will be an orchid garden, fruit garden and a 1.5 hectare dam to meet residents' water requirements," he said.

There, the mayoralty is planning to create a public fishing area, jogging track and plantations for visitors.

"Currently we are holding discussions with the management of the project. We don't want the forest to be dominated by commercial interests," he said. (edt)