As the city aims at transforming its public transportation system, pedestrians are hopeful sidewalks will be improved as a reward for those who have been voluntarily leaving their vehicles in the garage.

Pedestrians, who mostly use public transportation, often struggle when moving from one mode of transportation to another because of the long distances between transit points.

Moreover, the absence of sidewalks in certain parts of the capital, as well as dealing with unruly motorcyclists, street vendors and parked motorbikes in areas supposed to be for pedestrians, is part of the everyday struggle pedestrians have to face. The fact that many sidewalks are not well maintained has further discouraged residents from commuting on foot.

An employee at a private company, Aninda Dewi, 26, told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday that she had been struggling to walk from her office on Jl. Sudirman to Karet Station, Central Jakarta, which takes 20 minutes because of the lack of a sidewalk on some parts of her route.

“It is unsuitable to walk from my office to Karet Station. There is no sidewalk at several points, which increases the risk of being hit by a vehicle,” she said.

National Police data showed that 16 percent of people who died on the street in 2016 were pedestrians, after motorists who accounted for 74 percent.

As a daily commuter, Aninda said she supported the city’s attempt to integrate the public transportation system.

She also expressed hope that sidewalk improvement would be a priority, not only to reward pedestrians who willingly left their vehicles at home, but also encourage others not to rely on ride-hailing services or ojek (motorcycle taxis) to travel from one transit point to another.

“We cannot blame people for using their own vehicles. Walking [between transit points] in some areas of Jakarta is unsafe and uncomfortable,” she said.

To encourage people to use public transportation, the city has put together a transportation masterplan that includes a plan to provide public transportation every 500 meters — equal to around 1,500 steps— from residential areas or centers of interest.

Hence, the administration plans to overhaul the existing 156 angkot (public minivan) routes to serve more areas and support connections between all modes of transportation.

Edo Rusyanto from the Road Safety Movement Network told the Post that the availability of adequate infrastructure would encourage people to use sidewalks.

“In fact, infrastructure would help to build the culture [of society],” he said, citing an example of the Transjakarta buses that began operating in 2004.

He explained that at the time, public transportation such as angkot and buses stopped operating abruptly everywhere. Now, the situation has become more orderly as Transjakarta has helped develop the mannerisms of both passengers and drivers.

“However, [the shift in habits] would accelerate only if people feel the need to use [the infrastructure],” he said, adding that the development of sidewalks and public transport in parallel would help accelerate the shift in behavior.

Separately, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan encouraged people to walk rather than use vehicles.

“We will build more sidewalks. Sudirman-Thamrin and other major thoroughfares are examples of how sidewalks should be for pedestrians,” he said.

However, Alfred Sitorus from the Pedestrian Coalition said the equality of sidewalk development should be implemented throughout the city.

“It is not a problem of building pretty sidewalks to encourage people to use them, it’s a matter of sidewalks not being occupied [by street vendors or motorcyclists],” he said on the sidelines of the commemoration of National Pedestrians Day that fell on Jan. 22 in Tugu Tani, Central Jakarta.

Alfred, however, expressed appreciation for the city’s efforts to improve pedestrian infrastructure in the city’s main thoroughfares. “We hope that starting this year and in the years ahead, [the administration] will focus on other parts of the city,” he added.

According to apbd.jakarta.go.id, the administration has allocated Rp 473.7 billion (US$32 million) this year to build sidewalks and supporting infrastructure. The number decreased from the Rp 511.9 billion allocated last year.

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