New vehicle steal old charm from Jakarta's transportation
New vehicle steal old charm from Jakarta's transportation
Saya mau tamasya; berkeliling-keliling kota; hendak melihat-lihat
keramaian yang ada; Saya panggilkan becak; kereta tak berkuda;
Becak...becak; Coba bawa saya (I want to travel; around the downtown;
to see the gatherings there; I call the becak; the horseless carriage;
Becak, becak; Please take me around) -- Children's song by Ibu Sud
JAKARTA (JP): This children's song entitled Becak
(Pedicab) was written as an affectionate portrayal of the once
simple and efficient transportation system in the city.
Children today don't share the affection their parents or
grandparents felt towards the various means of transportation.
The number of children songs praising the "old" means of
transportation is a testimony to their charm.
There were songs about the delman (a horse cart), the trem
(trams), the oplet (a twelve-seat vehicle) and the becak, the
major form of transportation in Jakarta for decades.
Today's song writers have tried to compose similar songs but
have failed to come up with anything enchanting. This reflects,
in part, the current condition of public transportation in the
city.
Jakarta's transportation may now be more sophisticated (at
least motorized), but it has no charm. Everyone instead finds it
boring, hateful, hostile and scary.
Tutang, 67, who fought in the war for independence, says,
"Transportation in Jakarta in the fifties was much better
organized than today." This pinpoints why it has lost its charm.
People obeyed traffic regulations back then, he assured. The
police did their job properly and drivers and pedestrians alike
strictly followed the laws.
A special license was required for every means of
transportation, including the sado, the kahar (two types for
horse carts) and the stoom vales (Dutch for steam roller).
"I believe we were all polite on the streets. It was very
difficult to obtain a driver's license. You had to pass various
tests. No one could buy a license," Tutang said, before going on
to recall how public transportation vehicles stopped at fixed
places.
Things have changed drastically. Drivers stop anywhere to take
in or let out passengers and anyone can get a license.
The number of passengers was also limited back then. The
oplet, mostly built by Austin or Morris, carried no more than
seven.
Today, a mikrolet, which has replaced the oplet, frequently
surpasses its 12-seat capacity by three or more passengers.
During peak hours, some passengers are even willing to hang out
the door.
However, not everything was perfect in the old days. Trams,
commented Tutang, were less safe than an oplet. "My Parker pen
was once stolen by a pickpocket when I took a tram from Pasar
Ikan to Pasar Baru," he recalled.
Changed
Transportation in the old days was, according Tutang's
generation, was orderly, convenient, secure and safe. The drivers
were also disciplined.
Sadly, transportation in Jakarta has lost these laudable
qualities. As the capital became more and more crowded, various
means of getting around were, for some reason, banned.
Daredevil races between bus drivers desperate to make a living
and rampant theft are the order of the day. Public transportation
has now become a nightmare.
Steam and electric trams, which were introduced in Jakarta in
1881 and 1897 respectively, crisscrossed the capital until the
1960s. Horse-carts diminished one by one, under 100 delman have
survived. About 50 are based at the Ulujami marketplace and
another 30 at the Palmerah marketplace, both markets are in South
Jakarta. Their few customers are tourists and people seeking to
re-live the past.
"Times have changed. The delman was like today's BMW, they
were owned only by rich people. Now, we are among the poor, and
are blamed for messing the streets with horse manure," says
Marsali, 25, a delman chauffeur who inherited the job from his
father and grandfather.
The becak had a more tragic end. Introduced to Jakarta in the
first half of the century by Chinese traders, the becak quickly
won the public's heart as the most practical form of
transportation along the narrow alleys of housing complexes. It
was among the cheapest ways for the poor to eke out a living.
Traffic experts and city officials blamed them for traffic
congestion and the Jakarta administration completely banned them
in 1991.
Hundreds of thousands of becaks were dumped into Jakarta Bay
to become a haven for fish.
The vacuum, particularly in residential areas, was partially
filled by the bemo. This three-wheeled vehicle was introduced in
1962 and had freely roamed the main streets before the becak ban.
However, the bemo couldn't cope with the demand and that lead to
the ojek (motorcycle taxi) to hit the streets and pavements.
Now it is said that the ojek and the bemo are to be phased out
and replaced by minivans.
"I don't understand why the government wants to ban the bemo.
No one gets robbed on them. Besides, this is a real form of PATAS
(limited passengers) transport. We never take in more than
seven," said Ujang Juanda, 43, a bemo owner.
As Jakarta develops into a metropolitan city, the memory of
horse drawn carts and pedicabs will fade. People once believed in
the proverb "slow but sure", but now Jakartans are much more
restless.
What is important to the majority of Jakartans is time and
speed. City planners are now working on a plan to build either an
underground or monorail system to provide Jakartans with
efficient mass transportation.
But a question remains. How can we recover the former charms
of Jakarta's transportation network -- convenience, discipline,
order and security? (jsk/als)