W

ith many Jakartans having moved to Bekasi, Depok, Bogor and Tangerang, the burden of traffic congestion is being equally shared across Greater Jakarta (Jabodetabek).

While Jakarta is improving its transportation, such as in the form of the mass rapid transit (MRT) and light rail transit (LRT) systems, to address the problem, the satellite cities are struggling to catch up with transportation development in the capital.

In an attempt to ease traffic in Bekasi, West Java, the city administration has planned a breakthrough with an idea to construct the country’s first Aeromovel, a mass transportation system that utilizes pressurized air to move lightweight but high-capacity vehicles on an elevated track.

Since the city introduced the plan in 2015, construction of the project, which will connect elite residential areas Kemang Pratama, Summarecon and Harapan Indah on a 12-kilometer track and require Rp 2 trillion (US$149.84 million) in investment, has yet to commence.

“Some investors who were initially interested in the project are apparently considering withdrawing. Meanwhile, a group of South Korean investors have shown interest in investing in the project and are studying its feasibility,” Bekasi Mayor Rahmat Effendi told The Jakarta Post recently.

Amid difficulties in securing funding, the mayor expressed confidence that the project would become reality, particularly considering the rate of development in Bekasi, home to around 2.6 million people.

He added that the Aeromovel, which was lauded as a successful mode of transportation in Brazil during the 2014 World Cup, was picked because the total expenditure needed for its construction would be less than what it would be for similar modes of transportation.

“Establishing a mass public transportation system with elevated roads is imminent. With the exponential growth of private vehicle ownership, constructing an Aeromovel is apparently our best option,” he said.

Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) transportation expert Ofyar Z. Tamin, however, has warned the administration to consider the plan carefully and thoroughly study it.

“Although the construction cost will be lower than for similar modes of transportation, the administration has to consider its basic safety,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Depok Transportation Agency in West Java has strived to better regulate traffic in the city.

The agency recently introduced a plan to establish a traffic forum involving relevant parties, including Depok Public Works and Public Housing Agency staff and public transportation drivers to discuss traffic-related problems in the city. It has also discarded an idea to create dedicated lanes for angkot (public minivans) and motorcycles in order to improve the flow of traffic on a number of congested-prone roads, such as Jl. Margonda.

The agency has also taken stern measures against traffic regulation violators in the city. It recently cracked down on app-based ride-hailing motorcycle taxi drivers who occupied road shoulders while waiting for passengers.

“They worsen traffic. We received complaints from the public,” Sariyo Sabrani, the agency’s traffic safety and order division head, told the Post.

Similarly, starting March 14, the Bogor administration in West Java expanded public transportation routes from 20 to 30 to allow the city’s 3,400 angkot to serve 68 subdistricts from the previous 58.

The administration also plans to ease traffic in the city center by encouraging residents to take TransPakuan buses instead of angkot.

Late last year, navigation application provider Waze named Bogor the second worst city to drive in after Cebu in the Philippines. San Salvador in El Salvador came third.