More alternative routes set for public during AELM
JAKARTA (JP): Alternative routes will be set up to alleviate traffic on the major streets and toll roads that will be used exclusively by delegates from the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) during their summit meeting on Nov. 15.
"Based on Tuesday's rehearsal, we have found that more alternative roads are badly needed to avoid congestion at a number of points," head of the City Traffic Police Directorate Col. Soeroso told reporters here yesterday.
During the 18-country meeting, a number of major streets and toll roads will be temporarily closed to make way for the convoys of delegates and heads of states during their arrival and also for the gala dinner, conferences and departures scheduled between Nov. 11 and 16.
According to Soeroso, also the senior officer responsible for transporting the delegates, the opening of more alternative roads applies to almost all streets throughout the city heading towards the Semanggi intersection.
By providing more alternative roads, it is hoped that motorists heading for Jl. Gatot Subroto, Jl. Sudirman, Jl. Thamrin and the Semanggi-Bogor toll road on Nov. 15, from morning until night, will be easily re-routed so as to reduce traffic jams, he said.
"We plan to shift motorists, for example, from the southern part of the city beginning from Jl. Fatmawati in order to avoid congestion on Jl. Sisingamangaraja," Soeroso said.
Soeroso also urged the public to be understanding about the blockade of the major streets and toll roads during the APEC meeting.
"It will be better if motorists wake up earlier and find their own alternative roads during those days," he said.
According to a proposed plan, each delegate's convoy will consist of 11 cars of different types and five Kawasaki 1,000 CC motorcycles. The set-up of the convoy is arranged as follows: traffic police in a Ford Orion sedan in the front row as the sweeper, three military officers on Kawasaki motorcycles, protocol officers in a Nissan Infiniti jeep, security officers in a Nissan Patrol jeep, the VIPs in two Mercedes C-600 sedans, another group of security officers in a Nissan Patrol jeep, a reserve Mercedes C-360 sedan for the VIPs, the VIP ministers in two BMW 740i sedans, other members of the delegation in two VW Caravelle vans and two military officers on motorcycles behind.
Pertamina
In a related development, Pertamina announced here yesterday that the state-owned oil company will put dozens of fuel-supply trucks into operation to prevent any possible shortages of oil during the upcoming APEC meeting.
"Some of the fuel-supply trucks are now on stand-by in the Senayan parking area, ready to supply fuel to cars carrying the official guests," the acting head of the Pertamina's fuel distribution and superintending office for Jakarta, Djagunung Manik, told reporters.
The operation, which started on Monday, will continue through Nov. 25, he said.
"In the Senayan area, we will also provide mobile dispensing pump stations, which will take fuel directly from the supply trucks," he said, adding that it will provide both fuel-supply trucks and mobile pump stations at a location near the summit venue in Bogor.
According to Manik, Pertamina plans to provide around 226,000 liters of premix fuel and 300,000 liters of premium oil to serve the international event.
Pertamina will also deploy hundreds of its staff members to supervise fuel services at all the fuel stations in Jakarta and Bogor, he said.
Pertamina's main fuel distribution station in Tanjung Priok now stockpiles around one million liters of fuel, more than enough for this month's activities, Manik said. (bsr/fhp)