Transportation woes

Transportation woes

Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso, basking in the "achievement" of
launching the Trans-Jakarta busway service on Thursday, may well
qualify as this week's most boastful official.

For the governor, the launching of the project, despite its
shortcomings, was like the lifting of a heavy burden from his
shoulders. The project was proof of his compassion for the little
people, he said during the busway launching ceremony, his face
beaming with self-righteous pride.

The euphoria remains.

Because the busway system is only two days old, it is too
early to tell whether it is a solution to Jakarta's traffic woes,
regardless of the controversial construction phase of the
project, which included the chopping down of some of the city's
few remaining trees to make way for busway stations.

There are some things that both Jakarta residents and the
authorities should take into account as the busway officially
opens for business on Feb. 1, when passengers will be required to
buy tickets to ride the Trans-Jakarta buses between Blok M and
Kota.

Several points along the route where the Trans-Jakarta buses
and other vehicles meet seem likely to become permanent
bottlenecks, including at the Pemuda Statue, the Hotel Indonesia
traffic circle and the Olimo intersection.

For residents, the busway will reintroduce some of the old
habits of commuting; passengers will have to buy their tickets
before getting on the bus, something that disappeared from the
capital more than 10 years ago.

As Jakarta officials have worked all out to make the busway a
success, they must also think about the practical future of the
system, particularly maintenance. Many people say that
maintaining a project is more difficult than starting it up.

Vandalism must be prevented and security aboard the buses must
be maintained. Many people are already skeptical about the
chances of a police officer always being around to keep the
criminals at bay.

In fact, the busway is only part of the overall transportation
system for the increasingly chaotic capital, which is chronically
lacking in a grand and integrated transportation system.

Sutiyoso has said that by 2010, Jakarta will have a macro-
transportation system with another 14 busway corridors, a
monorail connecting Tangerang in the west and Bekasi to the east,
a subway linking the southern and the northern parts of the city,
as well as a river transportation network.

All this within the next six years, with another Rp 120
billion provided by the city administration for the next busway
project -- in addition to the Rp 120 billion the administration
spent for the first busway.

To many, Sutiyoso's statements sound like pure fantasy, but
what the city needs is an intermodal transportation system. We
need an integrated plan to connect all modes of transportation,
starting from the outlying residential areas to the central
business district where people work.

Currently, each mayoralty has its own transportation plan.
Operation permits are issued to motorcycle taxis, minibuses and
other transportation providers with no overall vision for a
larger, intermodal system.

This means the feeder lines for the busway have not been taken
into account by the city administration. If the feeder lines are
lacking, how can people get to the busway stations? And if these
feeder lines remain congested, what is the use of clear busway
lanes?

As even Sutiyoso has acknowledged the busway will not solve
the city's traffic woes, the administration should begin a grand
integrated transportation system to encourage people to get to
work by public transportation, instead of in private cars.

One more thing: with Sutiyoso's term ending in 2007, the next
governor must have a clearer vision of the city's transportation
system.