People's reluctancy to use crossings looms in busway system

People's reluctancy to use crossings looms in busway system

Damar Harsanto
The Jakarta Post
Jakarta

Busway project will use both pedestrian overpasses and zebra
crossings to provide access to bus stops for passengers, but many
doubt their effectiveness and fear it is doomed to failure as
many people are reluctant to use such facilities on other roads.

Their reluctance is apparently based on issues of comfort and
security, as well as the absence of sanctions for not using them.

"We will use both pedestrian footbridges as well as zebra
crossings to enable bus passengers to access bus stops," said
head of the city transportation agency's development program, D.
A. Rini, who is also a member of the busway team of experts.

The administration will modify some of the existing pedestrian
bridges to descend onto the median strips along which the bus
stops will be constructed, Rini said.

However, some zebra crossings connecting bus stops in the
right lane to the pavement in the left lane, would also be made
to enable the disabled to access the bus stops, Rini added.

The bus stops are to made on an elevateded platform, 105
centimeters higher than ground level.

However, people's reluctance to use existing pedestrian
footbridges and zebra crossings seems to be a major hurdle for
the busway project.

"I am reluctant (to use the footbridges). It's too far," said
one of several pedestrians who had just crossed Jl. M.H. Thamrin
in Central Jakarta on Tuesday afternoon.

He claimed he was not concerned about his safety. "Unless the
traffic is heavy, I will just cross the road."

There are only two footbridges available along the one-
kilometer long Jl. M.H. Thamrin, while along Jl. Medan Merdeka
Barat, there are three zebra crossings with an average of 300
meters between each crossing.

Many people, however, were seen crossing the road and ignoring
the traffic instead of using either the zebra crossings or
footbridges. A police officer standing at the scene just looked
on without paying attention to the jaywalkers.

Similarly, Sutoyo, 30, a resident of Kota, West Jakarta
revealed that he chose not to use footbridges as he was afraid
for his safety.

"Thugs try to extort money from people on many pedestrian
bridges who can do so unseen as those bridges are completely
covered by big advertising boards," Sutoyo said.

The new bus system which will cost Rp 90.5 billion (US$10
million) will use 60 air-conditioned buses, each with a capacity
of 54 seats. Those buses will ply the 12.9 kilometer route from
Blok M, in South Jakarta to Kota, West Jakarta, through Jl.
Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman, with a headway of two minutes to six
minutes.

The project which was initially expected to be launched by the
end of last year, had been postponed mainly owing to poor
planning.

The Jakarta Transportation Agency did not name a date for the
launch of the system, but Governor Sutiyoso hinted that his
administration would execute the project by the middle of this
year. Two buses will be on trial next month, but they will not
carry passengers.

The busway project is controversial as there has been some
significant changes in the project's original planning, including
the ballooning budget allocated for the project to Rp 90.5
billion, a sharp jump from only Rp 54 billion previously.

Many experts were skeptical that the project which is designed
to ease Jakarta's notorious traffic congestion, would be
successful amid poor planning.

The administration, for instance, fail to provide spacious and
secure parking lots on both ends of the busway routes in Blok M
and Kota so that motorists will be encourage to continue their
journey with the busway.

The administration's plan to use the existing parking lots in
Blok M will burden already-packed parking lots belonging to the
office and shop buildings in the vicinity.

To date, after a long and repeated delays, the administration
only manages to construct two bus stops on Jl. Medan Merdeka
Barat, Central Jakarta, from the planned 30 bus stops in every
lane; painted dashed red marks to show the dedicated bus lanes
from Blok M to Harmoni; and posted some notice boards.