T

he Bogor city administration in West Java is currently looking into a plan to establish a clockwise one-way traffic system around Bogor Palace and the Bogor Botanical Gardens to accommodate increasing activities at the palace.

Although President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo refused to confirm whether he would be spending more time in Bogor, he started to run his office from Bogor Palace on Monday.

Earlier, after he went home from Surakarta in Central Java on Saturday, Jokowi mulled over the idea of spending more time working at the palace, a two-hour drive from the capital. He has also been adding personal touches to the palace, including a new furniture set.

Bogor Mayor Bima Arya Sugiarto said Sunday that he could not give a definite time of when the one-way traffic system would be imposed, as he needed some time to familiarize the public with the new plan.

'€œRegional planning in the palace and the Bogor Botanical Gardens is integrated, so we could not merely look at one aspect. We should start by organizing public transportation and traffic management and then we can implement one-way traffic,'€ Bima said in Bogor as quoted by Antara news agency.

Bima said Jokowi, through the State Secretariat, has requested the Bogor administration to coordinate with related ministries regarding the technical planning concept of the city.

Bogor city is so infamous for having numerous angkot (public minivans) that it is often dubbed '€œthe city of a thousand angkot'€.

The city and the Puncak area is also famous as being a close holiday getaway for Jakartans who usually take their private cars to enjoy the culinary treats and cool air. The Jagorawi toll road is usually jammed with cars on Saturday
and Sunday.

Bima said the President reminded him that the cultural and heritage value of Bogor Palace should remain a top priority in developing the area.

'€œThe President also asked my administration to pay attention to the cultural and heritage value in the spatial planning of Bogor Palace,'€ Bima said.

Furthermore, he said that a plan to shift the palace'€™s fence to make more space for pedestrians around the palace was still under consideration and the Bogor administration had yet to make a decision.

'€œIt is only one of many options we can take to widen the sidewalk. If we don'€™t move the fence, the sidewalk widening will take up road space,'€ Bima continued.

According to him, he would meet with the city'€™s public and cultural figures to inform them of any policy related to Bogor Palace that would be undertaken by the administration. He would also ask their help to disseminate the policies.

'€œWe will finalize the concept step by step. We will meet with the public figures and also the State Secretary [Pratikno] next week,'€ Bima continued.

Separately, Bogor Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Irsan said he was aware of the administration'€™s plan to establish a clockwise one-way system for the street around Bogor Palace and said that the police would help to finalize the traffic flow concept.

'€œWe have coordinated within our institution. We will create a concept that sees a one-way street and a two-way street in the area,'€ he said.

Cabinet Secretary Andi Widjajanto earlier said Jokowi felt comfortable at Bogor Palace and that the President wanted a relaxed atmosphere for his meetings.

When he was still serving as Jakarta governor, Jokowi was known to be fond of giant trees and natural surroundings. In a bid to create a natural environment at his then official residence in Menteng, Central Jakarta, he kept at least 20 pet frogs in a pond in his garden to enjoy their sounds.

The graduate of Gadjah Mada University'€™s forestry school also imposed strict limits on felling trees in the capital and developed several public parks in the capital.