New toll roads will not cure Jakarta's chronic congestion

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Jakarta administration's plan to build more toll roads connecting busy areas might be seen as a good idea to some people, but transportation experts believe they could cause greater congestion.

The Indonesia Transportation Society (MTI) chairman Bambang Susantono emphasized that out of the many projects planned, expected to cost over Rp 23 trillion (approximately US$2.4 billion) to construct a total of 85.3 kilometers of toll roads would only benefit a relative few -- mostly private car owners.

"Constructing the (inner city) toll roads will allow more vehicles to enter the already busy central business areas ... it's like sending the floods in," he told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.

Bambang said that the toll roads would cause traffic further congestion at the toll exit/entrance gates in the city center because the limited road capacity available would be able to handle to the massive influx of traffic.

He explained that it was this same argument that brought about the cancellation of the toll road construction project linking Bekasi and Kampung Melayu in East Jakarta back in 1990.

"There was a decision made at that time that the city's narrow streets in Kampung Melayu would not be able to accommodate larger traffic flows," he said.

The project was revived as part of the planned construction of seven new toll roads -- not six as reported previously -- the Kemayoran-Kampung Melayu, Rawa Buaya-Sunter-Kampung Melayu-Duri Pulo via Tomang, Sunter-Pulogebang, Ulujami-Tanah Abang and Pasar Minggu-Casablanca routes.

The massive project will begin next March and is expected to finish by 2009.

Soetanto Soehodho Mahry, a professor of transportation engineering from the University of Indonesia, who chairs the university's Center for Transportation Studies (CTS), also urged the administration to focus more on developing public transportation.

Soetanto claimed that motorists would only enjoy a brief respite from the chronic traffic congestion.

"But the gridlock will return as long as the administration had no policy to curb rapid growth of car ownership in the city," the City Transportation Council chairman told the Post.

Every day, at least 138 new cars flood city streets, putting more burden on the already overcrowded roads, most of which are community streets and lanes. Not to mention the 600,000 drivers who commute in from suburban areas, like Bekasi and Tangerang.

Soetanto also warned that the presence of another elevated road in the capital, combined with all the other buildings buildings and structures, would make the city uglier.

Soetanto highlighted the paramount importance of the administration to prioritize a variety of public transportation projects, which would have a greater impact on the majority of Jakarta's residents, rather than just the private vehicle owners.

"I'd prefer see the development of a subway system rather than more elevated highways, which will actually server far fewer residents. In my calculation, the construction of the subway would only cost between Rp 150 billion and Rp 200 billion per kilometer, much cheaper than the elevated toll roads," he said.

The planned toll roads are expected to cost over Rp 270 billion per kilometer.

"Besides benefiting the public in general, the subway will not affect the city's esthetics as it be mostly underground," he said.