Toll roads vs MRT

People commuting the streets of Jakarta will see worse, more chaotic traffic when the construction of seven new toll roads starts next March.

The seven new turnpikes totaling 85.3 kilometers in length will encompass the Kemayoran, Kampung Melayu, Rawa Buaya, Sunter, Kampung Melayu, Duri Pulo, Pulogebang, Ulujami, Tanah Abang, Pasar Minggu and Casablanca areas.

The city administration believes the new toll roads will be able to cure the perennial city traffic woes. However, many question if the policy is appropriate.

Those who are skeptical that the new toll roads will cure the transportation problems in the city argue that what this megalopolis needs is a Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system, which - according to previous reports -- will be established by the end of this year.

According to modern urban transportation theory, if big buses can no longer accommodate the increasing number of passengers, following an increase in population, the MRT system is the next logical choice.

The establishment of a busway system in Jakarta, which drew controversy in the beginning, could be cited as the start of the provision for the MRT in the city.

The busway system seems to have worked despite the fact that most of its passengers are those who used to take regular buses and want to reach their workplaces earlier. Busway systems, supported by special TransJakarta buses, were supposed to have encouraged car owners to leave their cars at home. From this point of view, the system, which was adopted from Bogota, Colombia, has yet to be a real success. However, as an embryo of the MRT system, the busway is promising. It should be maintained, expanded and improved.

In the midst of the city administration's obvious confusion about how it deals with transportation problems, public transport advocates and users are likely to be little comforted upon learning that toll roads are to get the first priority, instead of an MRT system. This will mean their dream of going to and from their workplaces on an MRT will remain a dream.

These commuters will not be the only ones shaking their heads in disbelief. Observers say that the new urban toll roads will only allow more vehicles to enter already busy areas with normal roads.

Once they are complete, motorists will only enjoy a brief respite from severe traffic woes, they say, adding that while vehicles may run freely on the toll roads they eventually will have to enter congested narrow city streets. More highways, therefore, are not the solution.

Given almost all the existing turnpikes in the city are congested almost every day, the administration should have reviewed its old paradigm when trying to resolve the transportation system and dealing with daily congestion.

The construction of new toll roads is also thought to encourage rich people to buy new cars. Many say that the new roads, which are too costly for the car-less poor, only benefit the wealthy. In other words, the administration has never thought to defend the interests of those who do not own private cars. It has also done nothing to help curb the rapid growth of car ownership, which is out of control.

Another point worth arguing is that the construction of the 85.3 kilometers of toll roads will need at least Rp 23 trillion (around US$2.4 billion). Meanwhile, according to the chairman of Indonesian Transportation Community, the government has sought only $685 million from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) for the construction of the MRT.

Any analysis of costs to benefits begs some important questions. Why does the administration prefer allocating the $2.4 billion for new toll roads, which will only benefit the rich and probably won't work anyway, to spending the same amount on the development of an MRT system, which is able to transport thousands of people a day?

Jakarta is a city of about 12 million people, about 1.5 million of whom have private cars and almost 2.5 million who have motorcycles. It can be therefore assumed that the remaining millions need to use public transportation every day. It is obvious that the construction of new toll roads is a pro-rich policy.

The city now has a total of 7,576 km of streets, most of which are congested each day. This inflicts serious losses on the city's economy. According to the latest survey conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the cumulative economic losses caused by traffic congestion in 2020 is expected to reach Rp 70.3 trillion.

It is high time the city administration makes policies that take these vital factors into account when designing transportation systems. The construction of new toll roads is not the right choice -- what the city does need is an effective and efficient MRT system. For the decision-makers it is simply a matter of vision -- a vision wide enough to benefit all Jakartans; not just the privileged few.