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City delays terminal closure after protests
Patience, please: A man distributes pamphlets to motorists as part of an awareness-raising program over the construction of the mass rapid transit (MRT) system in Pondok Indah, South Jakarta, on Monday
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Patience, please: A man distributes pamphlets to motorists as part of an awareness-raising program over the construction of the mass rapid transit (MRT) system in Pondok Indah, South Jakarta, on Monday. The MRT authority has urged people to be patient as the construction work would cause major traffic congestion in many areas. (JP/Jerry Adiguna) (MRT) system in Pondok Indah, South Jakarta, on Monday. The MRT authority has urged people to be patient as the construction work would cause major traffic congestion in many areas. (JP/Jerry Adiguna)
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span class="inline inline-none">Patience, please: A man distributes pamphlets to motorists as part of an awareness-raising program over the construction of the mass rapid transit (MRT) system in Pondok Indah, South Jakarta, on Monday. The MRT authority has urged people to be patient as the construction work would cause major traffic congestion in many areas. (JP/Jerry Adiguna)
The city administration has delayed the closure of the Lebak Bulus bus terminal in South Jakarta for intercity buses following a series of protests.
Governor Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo reiterated on Tuesday that the plan to demolish the terminal and a soccer stadium to make way for the mass rapid transit (MRT) project would still go ahead.
He said he had won support from bus operators to relocate intercity buses to other terminals in Pulogadung and Cililitan in East Jakarta and Kalideres in West Jakarta, but was still seeking solutions for street vendors, porters and food court attendants in the terminal.
'We will definitely go ahead with the plan because the construction of the mass rapid transit [MRT] can't be delayed any longer. However, we will delay it until we settle the dispute,' Jokowi told reporters at City Hall on Tuesday.
'I call on the Transportation Agency and [city-owned MRT operator] PT MRT Jakarta to explain the plan thoroughly to the bus drivers, co-drivers, street vendors, parking attendants and everyone affected,' he added.
When asked about the relocation deadline, Deputy Governor Basuki 'Ahok' Tjahaja Purnama declined to elaborate on the details.
'It's confidential,' he said, refusing to answer when asked whether the delay was caused by pressure from protesters.
'Pak Governor always wants to do everything smoothly so, when people say they need a further explanation, he will choose to temporarily delay the plan,' Ahok said.
Jokowi emphasized that the delay would not affect the MRT construction time line.
'We may delay the terminal closure but the construction work won't be affected. The MRT construction has been delayed for 25 years, we can't delay it any longer because it's getting more expensive the longer we delay,' he said.
Separately, PT MRT Jakarta president director Dono Boestami echoed the statement, saying that the project contractor would continue the work.
'It takes six months alone to establish the perimeter. We can do other work first as we are still at the preparation stage,' Dono said.
Jakarta Transportation Agency head Udar Pristono said that the agency was preparing another strategy to convince those affected by the plan.
'They should understand that this is for a greater purpose and is in the public's interest,' he said, pointing out that the Lebak Bulus terminal will accommodate an MRT station, a Transjakarta bus shelter and inner-city public minivans in the future.
'The terminal could not afford to accommodate intercity buses as well,' he said.
The agency planned to relocate buses going to Sumatra and Banten to Kalideres terminal, buses going to Central and East Java to Kampung Rambutan terminal and buses going to Bali and East Nusa Tenggara to Pulogadung terminal.
The city also plans to demolish the Lebak Bulus stadium to enable the construction of an MRT station and depot, which is designed to accommodate up to 90 trains, and to build new stadiums in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta, and Pesanggrahan, South Jakarta.
'The youth and sports minister has approved the demolition plan verbally,' Jokowi said.
The first MRT line, which will connect Lebak Bulus and the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, will have six underground stations and seven elevated stations, with the ability to serve 173,000 passengers per day. The first phase of the MRT project will be funded with a ¥125 billion (US$1.19 billion) soft loan from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and another $143 million from the city budget.
The first MRT line is expected to start operating in 2017.
