Integrated transportation system, agency needed

Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Experts have urged the city administration to establish an integrated public transportation system as the best way in the long run to overcome chronic traffic problems in the city, instead of simply focusing on short-term solutions.

Contacted separately by The Jakarta Post, Alan Marino of the University of Indonesia (UI) and Ofyar Z. Tamim of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) said an integrated transportation system would provide better service to residents.

"Integration will allow residents to move easily from one transportation mode to another without having to wait for too long," Alan said on Tuesday.

"Such convenience can be achieved only by careful planning involving all the parties involved in public transportation.

"All transportation modes have to complement and be connected with each other."

Alan said such integration would greatly reduce the burden on the roads as there would be no overlapping between the various transportation modes.

Contacted earlier on Monday, Ofyar said the absence of public transportation integration would only increase the use of private vehicles as residents did not have sufficient options.

"Residents have to move too frequently from one transportation mode to the other. This is too expensive," he said.

Besides, he said, residents were reluctant to use public transportation as it was uncomfortable and unreliable. That was why people opted to buy their own cars, which, in turn, decreased road capacity.

Ofyar said an integrated transportation system should provide good and reliable public transportation from residential areas to people's destinations.

"This can only be achieved if the city administration pays equal attention to the development of both railways and roadways," he said.

Meanwhile on Tuesday, councillor Tjuk Sudono said such integration needed to be decided upon by a special transportation authority that would encompass the various city agencies and other stakeholders involved.

"Transportation is not only the responsibility of the transportation agency. There are several other agencies involved in providing good public transportation," he said.

"The Jakarta Planning Agency, for example, has to plan city development so as to reduce crossing traffic from one section of the city to the other."

Tjuk, from the National Mandate Party (PAN) faction, said that residential areas had to be built near the central business district (CBD) or other centers of activities.

"So, the people in the west will not have to travel across the city to the east where his or her office is located. We can only achieve this by building more apartments," he said.

Tjuk also said Jakarta could not cope with the problem alone as it would have to also include the city administrations of Bogor, Bekasi and Depok in West Java, as well as Tangerang in Banten province.

"We must take into account the great number of residents from those neighboring cities who work in Jakarta," he said.

Jakarta is home to 8.3 million people but, during the day, the number can increase to some 12 million.

Alan also supported the setting up of such a transportation authority, saying it would enhance coordination between the relevant city agencies.

"At the moment, I don't see any clear coordination between the planning and transportation agencies as regards the possibility of generated traffic," said Alan.

He further said that the planning agency's powers to designate a certain area as a center of activities or assign it a specific function would certainly generate traffic.

"I am sure that the Semanggi Plaza being constructed now at the Semanggi cloverleaf bridge will cause huge traffic and congestion in an already overcrowded area."

Alan also deplored the fact that the Jakarta Transportation Agency had yet to have a capable chief, despite possessing good human resources.

"Being the agency's chief needs a lot of courage because any decisions taken will have great impacts citywide.

"That's why the agency chief should also have greater powers for the setting of city transportation policy."