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Residents object to sidewalk construction in Cikini, fearing poor outcomes
“We are not protesting the government’s policy to create a walking-friendly city. It’s just that the new design of the sidewalk is not compatible with the buildings,” Cikini Sidewalk Advocacy Forum chairman, Lin Che Wei.
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A worker removes stones from a destroyed sidewalk in Cikini, Central Jakarta, on Monday. The Cikini sidewalk revitalization project, for which the city has allocated Rp 75 billion (US$5.2 million) from its budget, is expected to be completed in December this year. (The Jakarta Post/Wendra Ajistyatama)
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uilding owners along Jl. Cikini Raya in Central Jakarta have urged the city administration to evaluate the revitalization of sidewalks along the road, worrying that it will have impacts on height discrepancies with their buildings’ floors and less comfort for people who want to park their vehicles in the area.
Some building owners in the business area have formed the Cikini Sidewalk Advocacy Forum, the members of which include the owners of several businesses such as Kedai Tjikini, Diar Restaurant & Cafe, Bakoel Koffie and coworking space KeKini, to voice their objections.
Chairman of the forum, Lin Che Wei, whose research company has an office in the area, said the sidewalk revitalization in front of the office would increase the risk of flooding in the area because the sidewalk was higher than the building's floor.
“We are not protesting the government’s policy to create a walking-friendly city. It’s just that the new design of the sidewalk is not compatible with the buildings,” Lin told The Jakarta Post on Monday.
When arriving on the spot that day, the Post noticed that there was a gap some 10 centimeters wide between the nearly completed sidewalk and Lin’s office floor. The gap gives way for the office’ rolling door but can also trap rainwater inside it.
However, there was a cement mound on the sidewalk in front of the office door, which a security guard in the area claimed to have built by himself to prevent water from flowing into the gap.
Besides the height discrepancy, Lin considered that the sidewalk revitalization was also problematic because of the elimination of the parking zone in front of the Cikini Post Office, which shares the same building with Lin’s office, because the sidewalk in front of it was being widened.
