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Pasar Minggu flower pots a pedestrian obstruction
An urban-policy analyst as well as pedestrians have criticized the South Jakarta City Parks and Cemetery Agency for constructing cement flower pots on the sidewalk of Jl
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A
n urban-policy analyst as well as pedestrians have criticized the South Jakarta City Parks and Cemetery Agency for constructing cement flower pots on the sidewalk of Jl. Raya Pasar Minggu, saying the decision is a blunder.
“The 2007 bylaw on pedestrians strictly forbids anyone, even the city administration, from constructing permanent flower pots on the sidewalk,” Nirwono Joga, urban analyst from Jakarta-based Trisakti University, told The Jakarta Poston Sunday.
Pleasure of walking: A pedestrian walks next to a sidewalk Jl. Raya Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta. The South Jakarta City Parks and Cemetery Agency are building flower pots along the sidewalk as a way to keep street vendors off the sidewalk at night. The result is the same for pedestrians - they must walk on the street. JP/Wendra Ajistyatama
“The city administration has abused the rights of pedestrians by building the pots,” he added.
Nirwono said that the construction, aimed to prevent the sidewalk from being used by street vendors, would cause more problems than solutions.
He said that the city administration attempted to use the flower pots as a “shortcut” to clear the sidewalk of street vendors.
“The decision looks like it was made in a rush and appears to have neglected the basic function of a sidewalk.” Nirwono called on the Jakarta City Parks Agency to reprimand its subordinate in South Jakarta and to ask it to remove the flower pots.
Tatiana Cahyaningtyas, a pedestrian, told the Post that people desperately needed a clean and wide sidewalk along the road.
“This is a very crowded road. It is dangerous if we walk on the roadway,” she said.
The flower pots are more than two meters long, one-meter wide and 80 centimeters high. The distance between one flower pot and another is about three meters.
Syafarina, another pedestrian, doubted that such flower pots would make the sidewalk prettier.
“I do appreciate the city administration’s initiative in beautifying the sidewalk.
“But spacious flower pots in the middle of the sidewalk don’t help,” she said.
Syafarina suggested that the city administration tighten up the law enforcement so street vendors would not abuse the public sidewalk.
“I hope the city administration stops the construction and demolishes the already built flower pots. At the same time, the city administration should give more severe warnings to the street vendors,” she said.
Head of the South Jakarta City Parks and Cemetery Agency Heru Bambang was quoted by wartakota.co.id as saying that the existence of street vendors along the sidewalk could damage the city prospects for the competition of Adipura, the city cleanliness award.
“We build those flower pots so street vendors cannot abuse the sidewalk,” he said.
Heru said that the construction of the pots cost Rp 300 million (US$33,300) from the city’s regional budget. He predicted that the construction would be completed by Dec. 20.
Despite the pots’ gigantic size, Heru insisted that pedestrians could still use the sidewalk.
Head of Jakarta City Parks Agency Catharina Suryowati said that its subordinate did not inform her office of the construction of the pots.
“No one has ever informed me about this,” she said.
Catharina said that she would not allow the South Jakarta City Parks Agency to construct the flower pots.
“What is the point of building those pots on the sidewalk? It is such a waste of the regional budget and causes disruption to pedestrians,” she said. (lfr)
