Pasar Baru traders tell govt to put infrastructure in place

JAKARTA (JP): Traders at the newly designated tourist shopping destination of Pasar Baru in Central Jakarta said on Saturday that the city administration must make a commitment to establishing infrastructure in the 575-meter-long shopping area.

Chairman of the Association of Pasar Baru Shop Owners, Burhanudin Ie, said the construction of an alternative road -- consisting of a bridge connecting Jl. Gunung Sahari and Jl. Pasar Baru Timur, both in Central Jakarta -- was urgently needed, especially as the peak season of Christmas and the post-fasting month Idul Fitri celebration were approaching.

"Roads leading to Pasar Baru are always crowded on regular days," he said.

"An alternative road could be expected to solve the problem, moreover the festive seasons of Christmas and Idul Fitri are coming."

He said the city administration's intention to make the historic complex -- believed to date from a market established around 1820 and known as Passer Baroe -- as a tourist destination could not be accomplished unless the annoyances of traffic congestion and lack of parking were solved.

Burhanudin said most customers complained about the difficulties in reaching the shopping complex and finding a parking space.

With several weeks before the Christmas and Idul Fitri celebrations, Pasar Baru was flooded with shoppers on Saturday, creating traffic jams on the parallel streets of Jl. Samanhudi and Jl. Pos, which are connected by the shopping arcade.

The traffic congestion was unavoidable as many public transportation vehicles stopped close to the shopping complex's two entrances to drop off and pick up passengers. Crowding was compounded by the sidewalk vendors occupying parts of the street and the many parked vehicles.

The 575-meter-long Jl. Pasar Baru, a home to some 120 shops offering a variety of merchandise and services, was declared a tourist shopping destination by the city administration on Oct. 10. Many considered it part of the administration's ambitious campaign to spruce up Jakarta's tourism image.

The designation, which was marked by a program of musical performances, successfully attracted visitors. Only weeks later, however, the complex is once again swamped with shoppers and appears even more chaotic due to the arrival of many more sidewalk vendors.

Burhanudin said occasional artistic performances were not the answer to the area's problems.

"Such festivities will mean nothing if public infrastructure, like roads and parking lots, are not put in order."

A shop owner, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said separately that the city administration was too hasty in declaring the complex a tourist shopping destination.

"I think Governor Sutiyoso does not have a thorough plan for Pasar Baru. Perhaps he was merely seeking popularity by trying to showing that business has recovered in the city." (ind)