Underground MRT a must for Jakarta: Expert
JAKARTA (JP): Jakarta's transportation woes will remain unresolved until the city builds an integrated underground mass rapid transit (MRT) system, an expert said here yesterday.
Responding to the city's plan to deploy 1,000 wide-body buses to solve the shortage of transportation vehicles, Herdjan Kenasin, director of the Jakarta-based Trisakti Transportation Academy, told The Jakarta Post that the scheme is fine as far as it goes, but that it still is not a complete solution.
"Until we have an underground MRT, the transportation problems in Jakarta will not be completely solved," he stressed.
In connection with the city's plan to operate the buses, he said he hoped that the city has anticipated all possible problems, because haphazard planning will worsen the city's already horrendous traffic situation.
Herdjan claimed that the underground MRT should be built immediately because it offers many advantages. It will not, for example, require any land appropriation, hinder above-ground traffic activity or detract from the city's beauty and charm.
Meanwhile, Eri Chayaridipura, chief of the City Development Planning Agency, told the Post that each MRT system has its own advantages and disadvantages. He also stressed that an MRT system is a basic necessity for Jakarta.
He said that an MRT system is a requirement for cities with populations over four million.
Eri explained that an above-ground MRT system is dangerous and unsuitable for crowded Jakarta, and that the littering habits of most Jakartans should be considered before constructing an elevated MRT system. He said that construction costs for the above-ground and elevated systems are lower than the underground system.
The MRT plan is being discussed at a coordination meeting of officials representing government bodies including the Ministry of Transportation, the municipality and the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology.
No final decision has been made on which system to use. Eri said the decision will be made by the central government, in this case the Ministry of Transportation. (03)