T

he Jakarta administration plans to open an elevated bus lane linking Jl. Kapten Tendean to Jl. Ciledug Raya, both in South Jakarta, despite shortcomings in its facilities that have raised concerns over passenger safety.

Bus operator PT Transjakarta will begin a limited operation of the route, Corridor 13, on Aug. 13. The lane has been criticized for its lack of street lamps and its stations, which lack in facilities.

The operator, defending the plan to open the lane, said that the 9.3-kilometer lane received a building worthiness certificate (SLF) from the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry, which means the structure was deemed as safe for use.

Transjakarta plans to open the corridor three days before its inauguration on Aug. 16. It will operate up to 30 buses during its first operation.

Institute of Transportation Studies (Instran) head Darmaningtyas said Corridor 13 was poorly planned and would be difficult to operate.

“Corridor 13 is an example of slapdash planning. The result is bad, especially in accessing the bus stops, such as through its stairs and sidewalks. I myself am a Transjakarta user but I will think twice about using the corridor,” he said on Sunday.

The height of the bus stops, standing 12 meters to 23 meters above the ground, has been a point of criticism and has been considered by some as unsuitable for the disabled and the elderly.

Although the SLF was obtained, neither escalators nor elevators have been installed at any of the elevated bus stops along the corridor.

Aware of its shortcomings, Transjakarta will only operate four bus stops — the Tendean, Tirtayasa, Mayestik and Adam Malik bus stops — during its first operational run, as it considers the infrastructure of the four shelters ready for operation.

Both Tendean and Adam Malik are located at the beginning and the end of the bus lane.

The construction of the first elevated lane for Transjakarta began in March 2015 with a budget of Rp 2.5 trillion (US$187.7 million).

There are 12 bus stops along the route, the highest of which is CSW, located 23 meters from the ground.

The corridor was initially scheduled to be launched on June 22 during the 490th anniversary of Jakarta, but it was postponed as the SLF had not been issued.

“If we can open more bus stops, we will do that. Let’s see later,” said Transjakarta spokesperson Wibowo on Sunday.

In addition to criticisms of its height, concerns have been raised over the lack of street lamps along the corridor. Only 40 lamps have been installed out of a total 300 lamps intended for installation. Hence, bus drivers will rely on cat’s eyes and lighting from nearby buildings to navigate the roads.

As a result of the insufficient lighting, operation of Corridor 13 will be limited from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.

“The operation time will be limited because Transjakarta is still waiting for the street lamps to be installed along Corridor 13. Once installed, the service can be extended to 11 p.m.,” said Transjakarta CEO Budi Kaliwono in a statement.

Transjakarta installed barriers separating the lane from regular road lanes to prevent the passing of motorists and pedestrians through the corridor after the lane’s hours of operation. The lane separator was installed because cat’s eyes along the corridor were stolen around two weeks ago.

Wibowo said he had not checked to see whether the stolen cat’s eyes were replaced.