High wire: A pedestrian steps over a hole in a footbridge over Jl. Jenderal Sudirman, South Jakarta (file photo). JP/P.J. Leo

Along a street like any other in central Jakarta runs a fence, elegant and topped with golden paint.

On one side of this fence sits Indonesia’s central bank with its lavish towers, lawns manicured by scores of busy hands and perfect well-swept paths. On the other side of the divide lies a cracked sidewalk with four holes, each large enough to swallow a man.

On this, the public side of the fence, there is no careful maintenance.

Dodging the holes is Sunoko, a 50-year-old hotelier walking home from work. He says the holes have been there for a long time and can’t understand how people are just expected to navigate them every day.

“These holes are very dangerous,” he says. “At night if people are walking and they aren’t aware of them they might drop in. And it’s not only Jakartan people, many foreigners also walk here, looking up while they’re sightseeing.”

Many of Jakarta’s streets are like this. Some are much, much worse.

For those not familiar with the streets, for the tired, the drunk, those walking during floods, the vision impaired, the elderly or disabled, the danger of falling in these holes is very real.

Kevin Radityama, a 19-year-old student in central Jakarta, once made the mistake of using a sidewalk after heavy rain.

“I was walking in Sarinah [central Jakarta] and there was a very deep hole filled with water because of the rain. I didn’t know there was a hole so I just walked, stepped in it and I twisted my ankle. I told the police about it but they just said: what can we do?” he says.

“When we tell the government there is a hole, or something like that, they say OK we’ll fix it. But they don’t do it, they just talk and talk. I don’t think they really care about things like this.”

The frustration of Jakartans such as Sunoko and Raditayama is clear. But for those with disabilities whose lives are severely limited by poor infrastructure, the apparent lack of interest from local government is beyond frustrating.

Chairwoman of the Indonesian Disabled Women’s Assemblage, Ariani, says the poorly maintained streets are just part of a long list of reasons why Jakarta is a disabled person’s nightmare: 10-inch curbs, uneven footpaths, ramps too steep to use and a lack of wheelchair access on public transport all add to their worries.

“The fact that Jakarta’s roads and sidewalks are badly damaged makes even more obstacles for disabled people,” she says.

Her organization is making recommendations to the government concerning this, but is yet to hear back or see any change.

“The government is taking a very long time to follow up on its commitment to build facilities for the disabled,” she says.

Other Jakartans trying to make their complaints heard have been calling community radio stations to report dangers such as potholes, fallen trees or power outages.

Nita Roshita, from Jakarta’s 89.2 FM Green Radio, often hears from listeners concerned with the condition of the streets. Her station follows up complaints with the relevant authority.

While the utility companies respond well and repair problems quickly, she says, public works officials can be hard to reach, often handballing inquiries from the national Public Works Ministry to the Jakarta Public Works Department and back again.

“People are frustrated. Every three to six months the local government sends press releases saying that Jakarta has been fixed: There are no holes in the streets anymore, or there are fewer holes. But people say that is impossible because they still find holes in the street and people still have accidents because of them,” she says.

After hearing from so many disgruntled listeners, Nita can’t understand why the authorities won’t move to resolve such a straightforward and uncontroversial issue.

“This problem’s been going on for years and if they want to claim it in the budget and fix it then they should do it. It would be very popular,” she says.

At the center of all this is the Jakarta Public Works Department, headed by Budi Widiantoro.

In an interview, Budi admits there are problems with Jakarta’s streets.

“The conditions of our sidewalks aren’t good in many places, and they are dangerous, but along the main roads they are in good shape,” he says.

Budi says his department’s priority this year is planting gardens in the city and is unable to provide any data on how many dangerous holes there might be in Jakarta, nor when they will be fixed.

But apparently work is underway, with Rp 3 billion (US$250,000) earmarked for sidewalk maintenance this year.

“As soon as we know about a hole, we fix it. We have our own monitoring team and sometimes we also have the information from the people who use the street,” he says.

The monitoring team consists of one person in each of Jakarta’s 43 subdistricts. Between them all, this year, they’ve found seven holes to fix.

The hole in the sidewalk across the street from the Jakarta Public Works office was not one of them.

Budi explains the crumbling streets and missing cement slabs aren’t the result of poor maintenance by his department, but rather the fault of street stalls, scooters, and even thieves.

In the end, responsibility for providing safe streets rests with the Jakarta Public Works Department.

But for all the stories of injuries resulting from holes in the sidewalks that Jakartans will tell you, the department has not once been held accountable.

When asked why this is, Budi replies with a wide smile.

“No one has ever made a claim against us. They could make a claim against us if they fell in a hole and injured themselves but so far no one has. I don’t know why.”

One reason may be that most Jakartans aren’t sure they can.

Along one particularly potholed sidewalk, passersby were asked if they’d make a claim against the local government after falling into a hole and injuring themselves. Almost 80 percent said they would not, with most of those saying they didn’t believe they could.

Which leaves pedestrians – and government accountability – on a rocky road.

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