T

raffic on several streets along the route of the newly launched Transjakarta busway Corridor 8 were more congested than usual Monday, the first working day since the route was launched Saturday.

Long queues formed along Jl. Pondok Indah and Jl. Kebayoran Lama in South Jakarta and Jl. Panjang in West Jakarta during the morning and afternoon rush hours. Even before the new route was up and running, the streets were notorious for their abysmal peak-hour overcrowding.

Chief Brig. Marsono of the Jakarta Police's Traffic Management Center (TMC) said traffic was particularly worse on streets where there were no exclusive lanes for the Transjakarta buses.

"The traffic got more crowded during peak hour, especially on Jl. Pondok Indah, where the buses and other vehicles occupied the same lanes, without a proper separator," he told The Jakarta Post.

"It's more crowded than usual today, especially on narrow streets. The situation gets even worse each time a vehicle makes a U-turn."

He added the heavy congestion was because private vehicles were no longer able to use the Corridor 8 busway lanes as they did before the route was put into operation.

However, private vehicles were still seen occupying the exclusive Transjakarta lanes to avoid being stuck in the regular lanes.

Marsono said the police had deployed more officers to congested spots to help ease the traffic.

The TMC also reported that jams around the Lebak Bulus area took longer to clear, even after the morning rush hour peak at 10 a.m.

Motorists who normally pass through the same route as the new bus, particularly Jl. Pondok Indah and Jl. Arteri Permata Hijau, were stuck even after taking alternative routes.

Retta, a resident of Bumi Serpong Damai in Tangerang, said it took her 20 minutes longer than usual to drive to her office in Senayan, Central Jakarta.

"I usually arrive at the office at around 8 or 8:05 a.m., but today I got there at 8:20," she told the Post.

"It was already crowded when I entered Pondok Indah, so I took another road to avoid being on the same route as the bus. But still, I got stuck there, until I entered the next street, Jl. Radio Dalam."

Jakarta Deputy Governor Prijanto called on motorists not to use the Transjakarta lanes.

He admitted the Jakarta administration had yet to succeed in encouraging more private motorists to switch to commuting by bus.

"There are still unfinished problems, including the long headway for buses and limited supporting facilities, such as parking lots for Transjakarta bus passengers," he said.

Prijanto added the adminis-tration planned to provide more parking lots around Transjakarta bus terminals.