Underground MRT a must for Jakarta: Expert
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)