I am very disappointed with the article "Four wheels good, two wheels bad with Jakarta road rage?" (the Post, Sept. 27).

It's obvious the writer and most people who read The Jakarta Post do not ride on two wheels to go anywhere.

It's hard to imagine being on the bike during the scorching heat and rain and having to drive for hours to the office and home to see loved ones, not to mention having to deal with reckless car drivers.

Motorbikes are obviously much friendlier to the environment than cars. They save lots of gasoline, emit less carbon dioxide, save road space, and are much more efficient.

Why are people are encouraged to take a bicycle and not a motorbike? True, there are many motorbike riders paving their way to the bottom of the earth faster, but so are those who drive other vehicles.

Indonesia has more people who can afford motorbikes than those who can buy cars.

With automatic-transmission motorbikes in the making, even kids are now riding them (illegally, of course), so motorbikes are definitely here to stay. However, many things can be done to maximize the positive impact of motorbike riding and being friendly to the planet.

For a start, they need to wear safety equipment - for their own and other people's safety. They should obtain a driver's license the proper way. They have to understand all traffic rules. And the most important thing is that all road users should respect others - car drivers should respect motorbike riders, while the riders should also respect the drivers. It is better because all of us want to travel safely.

I too long for the time I can safely walk on the roadside of the main roads in Jakarta.

Pipit
Jakarta

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