Ten years ago, 48-year-old Wayan, who loves to ride his racing bike every weekend, had to vie with motorists along Jl. Jenderal Sudirman to Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta to enjoy a rare moment to exercise.

Since 2002, however, the city government has closed the route to cars between 6 and 11 a.m. on the last Sunday of every month in a bid to reduce air pollution while at the same time providing space for people like Wayan and others to enjoy morning fresh air around the business district.

“I cycled along the route for years before it was established as a car-free area on weekends. Ten years after the event took off, I am pleased to see it is now held more often,” the man said on Sunday while resting on side of the road in his cycling attire.

In 2007, the government made Car-Free Day more frequent, from monthly to biweekly, and in May, to weekly. Pedestrians are invited to pursue their activities along

the cleared road, from sports and campaigning for good causes to random fun activities, such as the gathering of hundreds of people earlier this month to organize a flash mob of the song “Gangnam Style”, made popular by South Korean rapper PSY.

For the past few years, the progressive traffic policy in the heart of the city has been replicated in four other municipalities, the last of which started last month in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta. However, the traffic-free day in those areas is currently held once a month.

This year, coinciding with the annual celebration of World Car-Free Day, which fell on Sept. 22, the capital observed the 10-year anniversary of its own Car-Free Day.

Joining more than 150 other cities worldwide to participate in the global celebration, the Transportation Agency held a modest event with stakeholders on Sunday to evaluate the past decade of the now weekly event.

The agency’s head, Udar Pristono, said that Car-Free Day had a significant impact on improving the capital’s air quality and he considered expanding the car-free area.

“We are currently conducting research to find out whether it is possible to expand the coverage area to the Kota train station [West Jakarta]. The more area, the better, as Car-Free Day is proven to be effective in reducing pollution,” Udar said.

Rusman Sagala from the Jakarta Environmental Management Agency (BPLDH) agreed with Udar, saying that event had helped to significantly reduce pollution.

“Over the last 10 years, data shows that there was a 34 percent reduction of dust levels, a 78 percent drop in nitrogen monoxide, a 70 percent reduction of carbon monoxide, and a 14 percent cut of hydrocarbons — all of which are parameters of air pollution,” he said.

Rusman pointed out that the Clean Air Initiative Asia — an air quality network by the Asian Development Bank, World Bank, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) — had upgraded Jakarta’s air quality level from “very poor” in 2002 to “moderate” in 2012.

The Committee for Leaded Gasoline Eradication (KPBB) supported the capital’s participation in the global celebration, saying Jakartans must regularly reduce their use of motor vehicles, in line with its campaign motto, “The city isn’t for cars, the city is for the people”.

“Jakarta could actually refer to New York City. The people there have decreased their vehicle usage. If going a short distance, they use public transportation, cycle or walk,” KPBB spokesperson Puput said during the observation of the international day on Saturday.

Toto Sugito from the Bike to Work community, who also present at the Sunday event, said that seeing the high enthusiasm of Jakartans taking advantage of the cleared road, the city government should extend the Car-Free Day’s hours.

“It’s impossible for us to have Car-Free Day every day, but it would be nice to have the roads cleared longer. From 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., for example,” Toto said. (aml/fzm)

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