Online Taxi Driver Dies in Bandung Due to Damaged Road; Governor Proposes Regional Management of National Roads

West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi has proposed that the management of national roads, particularly in urban areas, be transferred to regional governments following a fatal accident that killed an online motorcycle taxi driver on Jalan Pasteur in Bandung. The incident has reignited sharp criticism of the condition of national roads in West Java, prompting calls for an immediate transfer of authority to enable faster handling and repair of damaged infrastructure without being hampered by lengthy bureaucracy. “Regarding that (the death of the online taxi driver), many national roads in West Java are currently damaged,” Dedi said at Gedung Pakuan Bandung on Thursday. According to KDM, as Dedi is familiarly known, road damage must not be allowed to persist because public safety is at stake and it has a high potential to cause fatal accidents for road users. In response to the situation, the West Java Provincial Government confirmed it has sent an official letter to the Ministry of Public Works regarding the transfer of status and management authority for these roads. “From a policy perspective, the West Java Provincial Government has sent a letter to the Ministry of Public Works to hand over national roads located in cities, which serve as city routes, to the province and city,” Dedi stated. Dedi believes that regional governments actually have sufficient capacity and budget capability to accelerate infrastructure repairs if given full authority, including for the Bandung City area. To speed up the solution, the former Purwakarta Regent offered several swap schemes for authority that he considers the most tactical and efficient in practice. “I am more inclined for the national roads to be handed over to the city, while some city roads are taken over by the province. Or vice versa, whichever allows for faster handling,” he said. Dedi hopes the Ministry of Public Works will seriously consider this proposal to cut the bureaucratic chain in managing public facilities.