Trams please, not more buses!

Trams please, not more buses!

It was reassuring to read recently in the local media that the
city administration is doing something to deal with Jakarta's
chronic transport problem, except it is totally misguided in its
choice of transport.

The Jl. Sudirman to Blok M traffic corridor is just crying out
for a tram system, which could run along the ample space provided
in the berm of the road, with stations connected to existing
footbridges so as not to interfere with the flow of private
transport on either side.

Based upon observations of people's road habits here, does the
City Land Transportation Agency really think the planned busway,
which will take away a lane of traffic on each side of the road,
will do anything to solve chronic congestion along these major
thoroughfares? One dinky bus route is really not likely to
assuage wealthy Jakartans' manic car-buying habits.

It is a commendable and much needed effort to promote public
transport here, but a fallacy to think people are really going to
begin abiding by yet more traffic regulations, though giving the
frustrated public greater opportunities to flout them should
provide the traffic police with a regular income.

Over recent weeks, I have noticed the air pollution has been
so bad that smog has obliterated many of the downtown vistas one
can usually glimpse in the early morning. Does the city
administration really think adding extra exhaust fumes is going
to help improve air pollution? Particularly when some of the
worst offenders at street-level are buses that have not had their
engines tuned properly.

As many city councillors would have observed while on their
extensive foreign field trips last year, trams are an ongoing
success in places such as Hong Kong and the Netherlands, where
they provide cheap, reliable and non-polluting urban public
transport for the long term.

ADRIAN SMITH

Jakarta