TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Jakarta prepares for heightened New Year's Eve traffic
Change Size
Party horns: Colorful trumpets are on display in the Glodok area, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday. Ahead of the New Year’s Eve celebration, people can easily find seasonal trumpet vendors in crowded centers. They sell the noisemakers for between Rp 5,000 (35 US cents) and Rp 20,000 each, depending on model and size. (Antara/Indrianto Eko Suwarso)
T
he Jakarta administration wants to allow the city's people to enjoy a more comfortable New Year’s Eve celebration by ensuring better traffic conditions during the festivities.
One of the steps taken is a car-free night on 16 roads, including Jl. MH Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman. Other streets are to be rerouted from 5 p.m. on Monday until 1 a.m.
“During the closures, these areas are to be barred to any mode of transportation, from bicycles to motor vehicles, except for delman (horse-drawn buggies) and carts owned by street vendors,” said Jakarta Transportation Agency Sigit acting head Wijatmoko on Sunday, as quoted by kompas.com.
City-owned bus operator Transjakarta plans to operate 126 more buses, which are to serve passengers for 24 hours. The administration has also prepared more “parking pockets" to accommodate 25,647 cars and 14,983 motorcycles, according to Sigit.
The National Monument (Monas) is to be closed to visitors starting from about 4 p.m. to prevent any New Year’s Eve celebrations in the area. This is part of the administration’s effort to preserve the cultural heritage site, according to Monas management head Mundjirin.
Meanwhile, the city administration is to organize events such as bazaars, mass prayers, a collective wedding and various performances in four different areas: the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, the southwest entrance of Monas and the crossroads on Jl. Kebon Sirih and Jl. K.H. Wahid Hasyim. Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said 557 couples would participate in the mass wedding.
The series of the events are to run from 7 p.m. on Monday until midnight.
“The administration will facilitate [all initiatives], give them adequate space, make it comfortable and safe for everyone to celebrate New Year's Eve and enjoy various events that will be held in the car-free night area. This is why we are rerouting the traffic,” said Adj. Sr. Comr. Budiyanto, head of the law enforcement division at the Jakarta Police’s traffic unit, as quoted by kompas.com on Monday. (mai/ebf)
