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Residents object to sidewalk construction in Cikini, fearing poor outcomes
Building owners along Jl
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span>Building 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.
The forum’s chairman, 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.
“As a place of public service that is open 24 hours a day, the post office needs a drop-off space for customers carrying parcels. The post office serves as more than just a letter or document delivery service,” Lin said.
The security guard, who wished to remain unidentified, said the sidewalk used to be only 2 meters wide and in front of it there used to be a drop-off zone where three or four cars and several motorcycles could park easily.
“Since the drop-off zone is now part of the sidewalk, we have no other choice than to park the vehicles, including the postal vans that collect the parcels and send them to the shipping center, on the sidewalk,” he said.
Lin regretted that a public consultation carried out by the city administration before the construction had only involved some local officials and street vendors, without involving other stakeholders, such as building tenants and owners along the road.
He said the city administration should have communicated the plan to the public and sought the opinions of the affected groups.
“As a policy analyst, I consider that sufficient public consultation for public works is a mandatory step. The city administration tends to do the consultation fast but not properly,” he said.
Dharmawan Handonowarih, the owner of Kedai Tjikini vintage restaurant located just some doors away from Lin’s office, said that besides having poor preconstruction communication, the city administration also did not provide written notification during the sidewalk revitalization process.
“There are not enough safety procedures. I don’t see any notification boards that warn the public the sidewalk is under construction for a certain period,” he said.
Dharmawan also complained about the lack of construction safety signs with several holes that were dug being left wide open without any cover in some spots along the sidewalk.
“People coming in and out of buildings may fall inside, especially with piles of rubble being placed carelessly,” he said.
Responding to the complaints, Jakarta’s Bina Marga Road Agency has planned to evaluate the sidewalk revitalization project to see if there were any missteps in the working procedure.
“The complaints will be our corrective inputs. We will ask the contractors to check the sites,” said the head of the agency’s facilities and utility planning division, Rini Asnita.
Sidewalk revitalization is part of the city’s program to improve sidewalks that have uneven surfaces or are full of holes in several locations in order to accommodate pedestrians, including those with disabilities.
Besides Jl. Cikini Raya, the Jakarta Bina Marga Road Agency is focusing revitalization projects along Jl. Kramat Jaya in Central Jakarta, as well as Jl. Satrio and Jl. Kemang Raya in South Jakarta. (syk)
