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Satellite cities struggle with worsening congestion as Jakarta traffic eases
An increasing number of vehicles, ongoing road construction projects, poor traffic management, road users’ lawlessness and inadequate roads have brought traffic on Greater Jakarta roads to a halt during rush hour.
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Vehicles slow down their speed near traffic light in Jl. Ahmad Yani in Bekasi city, West Java on Feb. 19, 2019. (Antara/Risky Andrianto)
W
hile congestion in Jakarta is reportedly easing thanks to major measures taken over the past years, traffic in its satellite cities of Depok and Bekasi in West Java and Tangerang in Banten has become increasingly worse.
A combination of more vehicles, ongoing road construction projects, poor traffic management, road users’ lawlessness and inadequate roads has brought traffic on many main roads in Greater Jakarta to a halt during rush hour.
In Depok, a 200-square-kilometer city with a population of 2.3 million people and 1.1 million cars and motorcycles, Jl. Margonda Raya is congested throughout most of the day.
Common sights are ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers parking and customers waiting by shopping centers. Angkot (public minivans) stop wherever they wish. On peak hours, customers of the countless shops, cafes and restaurants park their cars on the busy roadsides, often with the help of illegal parking attendants.
Some parts of Jl. Margonda Raya also lack accessible sidewalks, forcing pedestrians to walk on the edge of the road. A few years ago, the Depok administration widened the protocol road and divided it into eight lanes to reduce congestion, but the traffic woes persisted.
“The traffic at Jl. Margonda Raya is always heavily congested during peak hours,” said Ardhito Triahmadi Gunawan, 24, a landlord and local resident.
He suggested that shelters be built near shopping malls for ojek drivers, roads at residential areas be widened and more modes of public transportation that are integrated throughout Depok and Jakarta be provided.
