'It's tiring driving in Jakarta'
The strong sales reported at the ongoing Jakarta Motor Show in Senayan, Central Jakarta, indicate car demand remains high. Transportation observers often link the increasing number of private vehicles on the roads with the poor public transportation provided by the city administration. The Jakarta Post talked to some residents about the issue.
Savitri, 38, is a housewife. She lives in Jatiasih, Bekasi, with her husband and daughter:
We don't have a car because my husband and I don't think we need one. It's better for us to have a motorcycle, although it means that we have to squeeze to fit all three of us on the vehicle.
My neighbors who work always talk about how early they have to leave in the morning to get to the office on time. They have to fight with other cars to get on the toll road.
Since I rarely go anywhere, and my husband prefers to take the motorcycle to his office in Kuningan, South Jakarta, it's no use having a car.
Living in a housing complex, I can't help but ask myself when I see neighbors with more than one car if it is really necessary to have so many cars?
Linawati, 32, is a housewife and runs a business from her home. She lives with her husband and two children in Pondok Bambu, East Jakarta:
My husband prefers to take the bus to work instead of driving. He always complains about the traffic congestion, which seems to be getting worse each day. By taking the bus -- he usually takes an air-conditioned one -- he can rest and sleep, if he gets a seat. Otherwise, he has to stand up until he reaches his office on Jl. Sudirman in Central Jakarta.
My husband only takes the car to his office when it is near the Idul Fitri holiday and around New Year, because then the streets are very quiet.
Actually, we don't use our car much, only to drive my daughter to school (in Rawamangun) or during holidays or the weekend. I don't really enjoy driving .... If I can take a taxi or public minivan, I prefer to do so. It's very tiring driving through the congestion in Jakarta.
-- The Jakarta Post