The Jakarta administration is stepping up its efforts to make the nation’s capital more bike-friendly, to accommodate a surge in residents taking up cycling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Officials are overseeing construction in Central Jakarta of the city’s first protected bicycle lane, an exclusive lane on a roadway for cyclists. They also plan to nearly double the length of existing bike lanes this year. The move has garnered wide and high praise among Jakarta’s cycling communities that have long complained about insufficient cycling infrastructure and the lack of safe bicycle lanes. Poetoet Soedarjanto of Bike to Work Indonesia (B2W Indonesia) said the project would be a good starting point for providing a safer and more comfortable environment for Jakarta’s cyclists. "Our community warmly welcomes the new [protected] lanes. Even though it will...