Transport for tomorrow
Transport for tomorrow
Much has been written on the state of public transportation in
Jakarta, though myriad questions remain as to what the
administration is really doing to resolve the chronic chaos.
The problem is complex. The city's roads, inadequate in total
length and number, are usually cited as the main culprits.
However, experts argue that additional roads will not solve
the problem as long as the number of vehicles, private cars
especially, continues to increase at its current pace.
Thought has been given to limit the number of privately owned
cars in Jakarta, at least in certain busy city zones during peak
hours. But given the sorry state of the city's public
transportation system, this will be easier said than done.
Most experts agree that the solution lies in a mass rapid
transportation system. To be effective, the system must be
punctual and capable of transporting a thousands of people to all
the major points of the city. It must also be relatively
comfortable, accessible and affordable.
When it was announced that Jakarta was finally to have such a
system -- or at least the first stage of it -- the news was
greeted with gratitude.
A number of options have been proposed. First, there was the
"aeromovel", an air-propelled vehicle on tracks. After a rather
unhappy trial run at the Taman Mini part in East Jakarta,
however, the idea appears to have been dropped.
Then a German-built overhead light-rail transit vehicle called
an "O Bahn" was proposed. Its future in Jakarta is still unclear
but it looks as though the idea has followed the path of the
aeromovel.
More recently, two arguably more feasible projects were
proposed. The first is a subway linking Blok M with downtown
Kota. The second calls for a three-level system consisting of a
road at ground level, an elevated light-rail transit track on the
second level and a toll road at the top.
Both projects looked to have an equal chance of being adopted.
For the subway project, a memorandum of understanding was signed
by Jakarta's governor Surjadi Soedirdja and executives from a
consortium of foreign companies in August last year.
As for the three-level proposal, the chief executive of the
private company PT Citra Lamtoro Gung Persada, Bambang Suroso,
said last year that construction of the project would begin in
1997.
However, more cold water has been poured on the two ideas than
the streets of Jakarta after a brief rain.
Rusdi Yusuf, an official of the Jakarta city development
planning board, said recently that the three-level proposal was
"merely an idea" and not provided for in the city's master plan
for 1985-2005. As for the subway project, no serious commitment
of resources has been made to see that construction is begun by
next year.
Both projects will require massive financing to realize, and
it is up to government officials and experts to decide. But
regardless of the choice, a mass transit system cannot be put off
any longer if we are to save the city's ailing transportation
system and spare the public from 21st century gridlock.