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Motion to remove bike lanes stirs debate
National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo welcomed a suggestion from a lawmaker to remove permanent bike lanes from Jakarta streets — a plan immediately slammed by transportation experts.
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Cyclists use a bike lane on Jl. Sudirman in Central Jakarta on June 6, 2021. (Antara/Aprillio Akbar)
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uthorities in Jakarta are divided over the existence of bike lanes in the city streets as the police recently expressed a plan to review whether the bike lanes should be dismantled altogether.
The plan was first uttered during a recent meeting between the House of Representatives Commission III overseeing legal and security affairs and National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo on June 16.
During the meeting, NasDem Party politician Ahmad Sahroni asked the police chief to consider removing bike lanes across the city so the portion of the streets could be repurposed for all kinds of road users.
The Jakarta administration has been constructing 63 kilometers of bike lanes across the capital, including the 11-kilometer protected lanes along Jl. Sudirman and Jl. MH Thamrin from South to Central Jakarta. The bike lanes use a portion of the streets and are equipped with concrete planters as protective barriers and directional signage.
The administration is planning to add an additional 101 kilometers of bike lanes by the end of the year.
“[Safety] risks along Jl. Sudirman and Jl. MH Thamrin should be faced equally by every road user,” Ahmad said during the meeting on June 16, streamed by the House’s internal television station TV Parlemen on YouTube.
Read also: Cyclists hail Jakarta’s bike-friendly policy
