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Jakarta proposes plan to create bicycle lane on inner-city toll road
The toll-road bike lane -- which would stretch from Kebon Nanas in East Jakarta to Tanjung Priok in North Jakarta -- would only be open on Sundays from 6 to 9 a.m.
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Jakarta residents ride bicycles on Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta on June 30, 2020. (Antara/Nova Wahyudi)
T
he Jakarta administration has proposed a plan to open a bicycle lane along a portion of the inner-city toll road in a bid to provide the public with an alternative cycling route amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jakarta Transportation Agency head Syafrin Liputo said his office had coordinated with the Public Works and Housing Ministry to convert the shoulder of a toll road that stretches from Kebon Nanas in East Jakarta to Tanjung Priok in North Jakarta into a bike-only lane.
“By our initial estimation, [the lane] will span 10 to 12 kilometers,” Syafrin said at City Hall on Wednesday.
“It will be a two-way lane. We’re awaiting the ministry’s permission.”
The bicycle lane would come with its own set of traffic barriers and diversion so as to prevent cyclists from veering onto the main toll road, which is designed for motor vehicles, he said.
“The western portion of the toll road, from Kebon Nanas to Plumpang [in North Jakarta], will remain [off-limits], so that cyclists may only loop around within a designated area,” Syafrin said.
Furthermore, he said the toll-road bike lane would only be open on Sundays from 6 to 9 a.m.
The administration has previously sought to open more bike lanes to support cyclists and curb air pollution in the capital city.
The need for alternative cycling routes has become more urgent in recent months to prevent Jakarta residents from crowding a single area, such as the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle on Jl. Thamrin in Central Jakarta on Car Free Day, amid COVID-19 concerns. (rfa)
