Use of bus lanes inconsistent

JAKARTA (JP): A member of the City Council urged the city administration yesterday to be consistent in applying the special lanes for buses and other public transportation means along major streets.

Ronggo W. Thahir of the United Development Party faction told Antara news agency that consistency in the application of bus lanes is badly needed to help increase the mobility of the vehicles transporting passengers.

"The city administration has to maintain the existence of bus lanes along major thoroughfares to enable the buses to arrive at their destinations on time," Ronggo said.

"If buses are not frequently trapped in traffic jams as we see at present, it will attract more people to use bus services," he said.

He added that motorists should be punished for using the bus lanes.

He acknowledged that the condition of most buses operating in the city remains poor, thereby discouraging people from using their services.

Ronggo said that uncontrollable traffic jams are caused mainly by an imbalance between the length of the city's roads and the growth in the number of vehicles.

According to city administration data, the roads are extended by an average of four percent per annum, while the number of vehicles expands by 15 percent.

There are about 70,000 public transportation vehicles operating in the city at present. The number of passengers transported daily reaches 4.5 million, of whom 800,000 are students, he said.

The many new roads built in the city have not yet solved the problem of traffic jams because they only move the congestion from one area to another, he said. (hhr)