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 told to go at full speed to alleviate congestion
Putting an end to Jakarta’s traffic woes is a daunting task, even with the MRT and light rail transit (LRT) systems having been introduced
Change Size
P
span>Putting an end to Jakarta’s traffic woes is a daunting task, even with the MRT and light rail transit (LRT) systems having been introduced.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo held a limited meeting at his office on Tuesday to take on this very challenge and find ways to improve services in the capital, which lags behind other major cities in Southeast Asia in providing reliable and efficient forms of public transportation.
The meeting was attended by Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, South Tangerang Mayor Airin Rachmy Diani, Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati and Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi.
Jokowi, who led Jakarta from 2012 to 2014 before being elected president, highlighted the annual losses of Rp 65 trillion (US$4.57 billion) caused by traffic in Greater Jakarta.
“There should no longer be any sectoral ego among ministries, regional [administrations]. All that matters are the national interests,” Jokowi said in a recorded video uploaded to the President’s website. He added that integration among various modes of transportation “cannot wait any longer”.
The meeting comes months after a similar one in January in which Vice President Jusuf Kalla was given the mandate to oversee the progress of traffic management in the metropolitan area.
The integration of public transportation has been hampered by the absence of an overarching plan on the city’s entire public transportation system.
Moreover, the prevailing 2014 Regional Government Law, which stipulates that transportation management falls under the authority of regional administrations, had prevented certain administrations from investing in and developing infrastructure projects in other areas, Greater Jakarta Transportation Agency (BPTJ) head Bambang Prihartono said.
Bambang, who was also present at the meeting, said that in three months, a new entity would be formed by the government to manage transportation in Greater Jakarta. It would serve the same functions as the BPTJ but have greater authority.
To support the plans, the Jakarta administration will integrate Transjakarta, the MRT and commuter trains operated under one city-owned enterprise (BUMD).
“Jakarta is indeed the priority and the [infrastructure] developments will be carried out by BUMDs so that it won’t be limited by borders,” Anies said after testing the MRT service along with Jokowi and other Cabinet ministers.
With over 10 million registered residents, 4.4 million cars and 13 million motorbikes, Jakarta is jam-packed. Traffic is worst on weekdays, as around 3 million residents from the capital’s peripheries commute to the city daily for work.
The MRT and the LRT, which respectively connect Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta and Kelapa Gading in North Jakarta to Rawamangun in East Jakarta, are scheduled to begin commercial operations within a month, giving some residents hope that traffic issues will be resolved. However, given the short distances currently covered by the new systems, many experts believe that problems will persist if no regulations are being made to encourage people to switch to public transportation.
Bambang demanded that the Jakarta administration extend the odd-even traffic policy at several thoroughfares in the city to ease congestion until the electronic road pricing (ERP) system is up and running.
The policy, which limits the entry of cars onto major thoroughfares in the capital based on license plate numbers, is enforced during morning and afternoon rush hours only. Prior to and during the Asian Games in August, the policy was effective from morning till night.
“While waiting for the ERP, it is necessary to consider extending the operational hours of the odd-even policy,” he said.
According to the Greater Jakarta Transportation Master Plan, the city aims to increase public transportation ridership to 60 percent by 2029 from currently around 20 percent. It also shows that the majority of vehicles in Jakarta move at a speed slower than 20 kilometers per hour during rush hour in the morning and afternoon.
