D

ozens of people in Mampang, South Jakarta, took to the street Wednesday and mantled a road block after a fourth-grader was killed in an accident involving a TransJakarta bus.

The City Police said that the fatal accident happened when the student, identified as M. Rizki Firmansyah, was trying to cross the street apparently unaware of an oncoming TransJakarta bus.

Eye witnesses in the location said that Rizki was thrown about 3 meters before his head hit asphalt.

Nearby residents tried to save Rizki by taking him to a nearby hospital but he died on the way to Asri Hospital in Duren Tiga, South Jakarta.

After learning of Rizki’s death, local residents formed a road block on the TransJakarta busway lane and tried to mob the bus driver.

Police from the Mampang Police quickly apprehended the bus driver to prevent him from being attacked by locals.

TransJakarta busway said it regretted the incident and that the company would provide financial compensation for Rizki’s family.

TransJakarta spokesman Bona Yoga Swara said that as a precautionary measure, drivers are now required to slow down at every intersection.

Meanwhile, transportation expert Darmaningtyas, who was at the scene when the accident happened, deplored the resident’s decision to block the busway lanes, which disrupted the TransJakarta service along the Dukuh Atas-Ragunan line.

He witnessed a 1-kilometer queue of TransJakarta buses form soon after locals erected the road blocks.

“The residents here put down pots and yellow flags to prevent buses from traveling,” he was quoted by kompas.com as saying.

Darmaningtyas said that the accident could have been prevented if Rizki had used the nearby crossing bridge.

“People must use crossing bridges for safety reasons. And this blockade is a reckless act. But I also regret the fact that the officials and the police responded slowly to the incident,” he said.

TransJakarta busway lanes should at all times remain clear from private vehicles and pedestrians trespassers, as it was designed specifically to accommodate TransJakarta buses.

However, accidents reoccur from motorists, motorcyle riders and drivers of regular buses trying to use the busway lanes to avoid traffic snarls.

In 2010, 430 accidents happened involving TransJakarta buses. In 2009, the city police recorded 303.

TransJakarta corridor 3, connecting Kalideres in West Jakarta and Pasar Baru in Central Jakarta, recorded the most accidents in 2010 with 69 cases. Corridor 8, running from Harmoni in West Jakarta and Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta, came in second with 67 cases.

Corridor 5, connecting Ancol in North Jakarta and Kampung Melayu in East Jakarta, and corridor 7, linking Kampung Melayu and Kampung Rambutan, each recorded 64 accidents in 2010.

The safest line in 2010 was corridor 6, connecting Dukuh Atas in Central Jakarta and Ragunan in South Jakarta, with 36 accidents, but it was this line that saw another death on Wednesday.