Jakarta to set new school and working hours

The Jakarta Post   |  Fri, 11/21/2008 5:58 PM  |  Jakarta

Jakarta city administration is set to issue a regulation to make school hours begin half an hour earlier (6.30 a.m.) as of Jan. 1, to ease morning and noon traffic congestion around the city.

"We will propose this new arrangement to Governor Fauzi Bowo. If he approves, it will take effect in Jan. 1," Vice Governor Prijanto said after a meeting with related city agencies on Friday.

The administration will also issue a non-mandatory instruction for private companies in Jakarta to rearrange their operating hours according to the location of their offices.

"For private offices, we urge those located in North and Central Jakarta to begin at 7.30 a.m.; 8 a.m. for offices in West and East Jakarta and 9 a.m. for those in South Jakarta," Prijanto
said. The starting time for civil servants would remain at 7.30, he said.

According to a recent survey commissioned by the city administration, some 20.7 million people travel through the city every day, with about 3 percent relying on trains, 40 percent on bicycles or on foot, and 57 percent on motorized vehicles.

They survey also showed that about 32 percent of all the destinations were workplaces, 30 percent schools, 12 percent shopping malls and 26 percent others. (anb)

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Vaishali (not verified) — Wed, 12/03/2008 - 1:30pm

hi all,

It is indeed a sensible proposal to have flexible working hours for office and to start the schools early as nearly 60% of the trips would then be taken care of and that would ease congestion for all.

such steps are always been talked in the conferences but very rarely do they make changes in reality..

Congrats for the good attempt!n Goodluck

Reader (not verified) — Fri, 11/28/2008 - 1:20pm

Just another sick idea of a sick local government proven unable to maintain infrastructure.

Will N (not verified) — Wed, 11/26/2008 - 3:14pm

Why not follow this thru and put half the city on "days" and the other half on "nights". This would reduce the traffic and congestion by half and elimate any need for public transport. It would solve over crowding at schools etc as they could run 24hours a day. Shops etc could be open 24hours a day, needed double staff and therefore helping the employment problems. Factory production and exports would be up....
What crisis ?

Ida Ismael (not verified) — Mon, 11/24/2008 - 5:20pm

I think rearranging school and office hours is ridiculous. My office hours start at 8:30, but since I have to take my daughter to school first I need to leave a little after 6 AM so she can arrive at school before 7 AM. My office is only 15 minutes away from the school so I arrive at the office a little after 7 AM. In order to do this, I have to get up at least by 5 AM. If school hours start a half hour earlier, how much earlier should I get up from bed and leave the house? Mind you, I not only have to bathe and dress for work, I also prepare my daughter's school lunch (to save money). City officials have no consideration of this at all. Furthermore, changing school and office starting hours will not necessarily solve the problem, it would only change the traffic jam periods.

Rahadi widodo (not verified) — Fri, 11/21/2008 - 6:56pm

school at 630? who even wakes up at 630? never mind already being at some place by that time...

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