High school students in the city have begun to cycle to school as they are becoming more aware of the impacts of global warming.
Faisal Azhar, an 11th grader at State High School No. 6 (SMPN 6), said that he first chose to ride his bike to school because he wanted to save money.
But now he said he is more aware of how his action can contribute to reducing Jakarta's detrimental pollution problem.
"Not only is it healthy, but this is part of my effort to help the environment," Faisal told The Jakarta Post.
Faisal, who has been cycling to school for a year, lives close to SMU 6, which is located in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta. It takes him up to 10 minutes to travel to school.
His classmate, Faris, who lives in Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, said he began riding a bike to school because it gave him a sense of pride.
"I feel like I'm making a difference," said Faris, who used to take public transportation to school.
Faisal and Faris are among a few students at SMU 6 who ride their bikes to school, saying that they usually pack uniforms in their backpacks and change once they arrive at school.
The high school plans to keep promoting the campaign among its 1,036 students, as the administration is to hold its "bike to school campaign" on May 23, said the school's spokesman, Hamid.
"In the long-run we are also contemplating building a special parking lot for cyclers," he said.
"Right now, we want to raise student awareness, especially among those who live less than 10 kilometers from school," he said, adding that currently there are less than 10 students who ride to school.
Like their counterparts, some students of SMU Lab School in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, also chose to become part of efforts to mitigate the impact of global warming by cycling to school.
Randa, an 11th grader, explained that at first he decided to ride his bike to school because the Lab School had a bicycle community, in which students cycle from one "hang-out spot" to another.
"Now I consider it as part of my effort to save the environment," said Randa, who usually rides his bike thee times a week.
But still, the majority of high school students who go to both schools do not ride bikes due to problems such as distance.
On Fridays, when students participate in morning exercise, the number of cyclists can reach around 40 while on other days it is usually less than 10, according to one of the school's security guards.
South Jakarta Mayor Syahrul Effendi urged students during a bike-to-school campaign recently to cycle if the distance to their school was less than 3 kilometers.
Because of chronic traffic congestion, cycling to work or school has become the preferred choice for many residents. (tsy)
