Avoiding the traffic, biking to work instead

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Mon, 03/03/2008 11:31 AM  |  City

ONE GOAL: Jakarta bikers from B2W and Komunitas Ontel Batavia join a clean- air campaign on the main streets in 2006. (JP/P.J. Leo)

When Dany Fernando decided to start cycling to work a year ago, he was hoping to lose some weight and help reduce pollution in the city.

"There has not been any significant change with my weight," he laughed, "but I am a lot healthier."

Dany, 27, lives in Meruya, West Jakarta, and works in Mampang, South Jakarta. He covers approximately 15 kilometers to work three times a week.

He had been interested in biking to work and looked for information on the Internet. He found a biking commuters' group, Bike To Work (B2W)-Indonesia.

He joined and started biking to work.

B2W-Indonesia is a group dedicated to the pedal-driven vehicle to commute; an answer to traffic congestion and air pollution in a city that consumes at least 6 million kiloliters of fuel annually.

Started in 2004 by cyclists in the capital, the group's membership has rapidly grown in recent years.

Ozy Sjarindra, chief executive of B2W-Indonesia, said the community started with less than 100 members.

"We now have more than 4,600 members listed on our website. If unlisted members or unaffiliated bike-to-workers are counted, I believe there are more than 10,000 bike-to-workers in Jakarta," said Ozy, a middle-aged man who rides to work two or three times a week.

Ozy cited that the city's "crazy" traffic congestion, soaring fuel prices, and public awareness of the environment and good health as reasons more commuters have picked up biking.

Nirwana Noviani, 32, who works for an engineering consultancy, has been pedaling to work every day since 2005 to avoid traffic jams. She started to bike after a B2W campaign in August 2004.

"I already had the idea to ride a bicycle to work, but I thought only chauffeurs, security guards or office boys rode to work," said the woman, who plies 14 kilometers from Pondok Pinang to Tebet, South Jakarta, by bike every day.

Biking commuters ride up to 35 kilometers each day to their work place from areas such as Bekasi and Tangerang in the city's outskirts.

These cyclists wear sports clothes and carry their work outfits in backpacks. Most take a bath or shower at work, although others simply wipe off and change clothes.

Nirwana said in the beginning there were not many offices that provided bathrooms, but more and more offices are providing the service.

"Even when there are no bathrooms or safe parking spaces, we can always find them at residents' houses around the office. A lot of my friends pay Rp 50,000 (US$5.50) per month for those facilities," said the woman who rode bicycles during her school years.

Tri Haryanto, 32, now rides to work in a group and covers 16 kilometers from his home in Ciputat, Tangerang, to his office in Pondok Indah and back. He said it used to take him an hour or more to go to work by car.

"By bicycle it only takes me half an hour, sometimes less. My friends and I just smile when we pass drivers with unhappy faces stuck in a traffic jam," said Tri who works in human resources.

Many of the B2W commuting cyclists form groups based on their residential area or work area and ride together on certain days of the week.

A group called Rombongan Bekasi, for example, rides together on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while Rombongan Selatan, in the south, get together on Wednesdays and Fridays.

There are more than seven large groups in B2W, who all agree that on Fridays they'll ride together forming a long line of bicycles, like snakes slithering through the city.

"We do this to show off to other road users, who fill the streets on Fridays, that cyclists ride by the rules and are not polluting the city," said Nirwana.

A cyclist unaffiliated with B2W-Indonesia, Max, rides because he loves bicycles and because it is healthy.

"I haven't been sick since I started biking four years ago," said the 34-year-old journalist, who rides his bike at least twice a week. (dre)

LITTLE ROLLER: Abi, 4, and his father prepare to join a night parade celebrating the 2nd anniversary of Indonesia's Bike To Work (B2W) community, Sept. 7, 2007, at City Hall. (JP/J. Adiguna)

Bike to Work preparation tips

- Map out your route. Check for the safest route, resting places, tire repair kiosks, parking places, showers/bathrooms and places to go in an emergency. - Check whether you have other bikers on the same route. It is better to ride with company. - Check the bike's tire pressure, chain, brakes, gears and nuts and bolts. - Bring a tool kit with these basic items: tire pump, spare inner tube, wrenches, locks, first aid kit, drinking water and rain coat. - Use safety gear: helmet, front and rear lights, pollution mask, gloves, safety goggles. - Wear appropriate clothing like sports shoes, etc. Avoid loose-fitting clothes. - Prepare a change of clothes and shower kit in a compact backpack. - Make sure you are in good mental and physical condition before leaving. Have breakfast and enough sleep. - Avoid crowded roads, take smaller roads instead. Do not overtake in busy traffic. - Obey the road rules. - Pray before and after the trip.

Source: www.b2w-indonesia.or.id

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