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Ridiculed, intimidated: Cyclists bear cruelty as third-class citizens on Jakarta's streets
While city officials have been recently encouraging the public to commute by bicycle, those who have done it for years have bitter stories of being disregarded and even harassed by other road users.
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Rahmat Hartolo, better known as Pak Payung, 75, patiently waits for customers outside Jakarta Kota station in West Jakarta on Tuesday, Sept.10. 2019. The mobile wear repairman is often a victim of intimidation by other road users. (JP/Budi Sutrisno) (JP/Budi Sutrisno)
“Bicycles, once considered treasures, are now undervalued by some people. When you are riding them on the streets, they may see you as the least worthy to share the space,” said Rahmat Hartolo, who is better known as Pak Payung.
Standing under the scorching late morning sun on Tuesday, the 75-year-old was looking tanned and thin as he gave friendly greetings to some commuters coming out of the Jakarta Kota Station in West Jakarta.
Beside him was an aged and fragile bike, on top of which was piled a used suitcase, a bicycle tire, umbrellas, bags and other junk. Pak Payung takes pride in his classic, old-school mobile repair service when he travels around the city on his bike to offer his skills.
Pedaling through the years, Pak Payung has not only been a witness of how advancement has shifted people’s lifestyles but also, unfortunately, a victim of intimidating behavior resulting from the changes and carried out in many ways on the streets.
While city officials have been recently encouraging the public to commute by bicycle, those who have done it for years have bitter stories of being disregarded and even harassed by other road users.
“Just about a week ago, my bicycle was hit from behind by a motorcycle driven by a man in his 40s. Apparently, he was slipping between cars and losing his way. I fell and sprained my right ankle, but I let him go anyway,” said Pak Payung.
This was not the only story Pak Payung had. Throughout the years, after starting his little business in 1993 with the only bike in his garage, the man has felt threatened several times in the streets, including by being honked at disrespectfully and ridiculed for simply cycling.
