Jaywalkers accused of treading on greenery

JAKARTA (JP): The city park agency is blaming jaywalkers, including white-collar workers, for damaging greenery on the medians on major city streets.

"We have put up signs for people to take a little more care about the city's green areas, but many seem to ignore them," head of the Central Jakarta Park Agency Agung Sukaton said on Saturday.

"Pedestrians eschew using the pedestrian overpasses to cross the streets."

He said jaywalking was particularly common on the city's main thoroughfare of Jl. M.H. Thamrin in Central Jakarta.

Agung said that ignorance could not be given as an excuse for not using the overpasses.

"They are office workers. But they refuse to use the overpasses, and instead endanger their lives and damage the greenery by crossing the street."

Agung also blamed student demonstrators for trampling on the medians.

He noted that newly replanted greenery on the median in front of the United Nations (UN) representative office on Jl. M.H. Thamrin was damaged during demonstrations last week.

Agung urged city authorities to take firm action.

"Probably, the authorities should conduct regular patrols to capture pedestrians traversing and damaging the city's parks," he said.

Several pedestrians gave different reasons for not using the overpasses.

"I know the danger of crossing the streets and the impact to the city's greenery," acknowledged Marius, an employee of an office on Jl. Thamrin.

"But it takes too much energy, especially on a hot day, to climb up the stairs of the overpasses."

Some women said they avoided the overpasses because of voyeurs who tried to look up their skirts from under the stairs.

"I really hate it when that happens," said Lidya Astuti who wears skirts to work.

She recommended that the city public works agency, which is responsible for the development and the maintenance of the overpasses, devise a solution.

"Perhaps they could put dark covering along both the left and right sides of the overpasses to prevent people from peeping at women in miniskirts," she said. (04)