Traffic gridlock: Jakarta's catastrophe

Traffic gridlock: Jakarta's catastrophe

Jakarta's traffic problems are worsening. Yesterday, thousands of vehicles came to a standstill. One young executive took seven hours to cover a distance of 10 kilometers.

Many people think it was caused by the floods. It was not. Jakarta's traffic congestion is a chronic condition. It is a portrait of distorted planning and civilization.

The amount of the road networking does not accommodate the number of cars using it. There are no pavements for pedestrians, or well-planned sites for business and office complexes. The toll road does not help; yesterday's congestion included the toll road. It has turned into a lucrative business. Toll road operators do not feel the need to offer an apology to trapped motorists.

Gentle manners are being forgotten in Jakarta's streets. Drivers behave as if they are kings of the road. The bigger or the more luxurious a driver's vehicle is, the more ill-behaved they become. The police do not seem to care much about this misfortune either.

These two afflictions -- bad planning and a bankrupt civilization -- are the core problems. Traffic jams are now creating economical and political disasters. Angry people trapped in traffic could erupt into rages. What if they burned their cars? Has the government taken this into account? Has someone ever calculated the billions of liters of fuel and man hours wasted in traffic jams?

The government must seriously consider building a mass transit system. There is no other alternative. It's better late than never.

-- Media Indonesia, Jakarta