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Makeshift bicycle lanes on Jl. Sudirman to become permanent
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he Jakarta administration announced on Wednesday a plan to make permanent the makeshift bike lanes from Jl. Sudirman to Bundaran HI as a preparatory measure to ease traffic after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jakarta Transportation Agency head Syafrin Liputo said the plan was expected to increase the number of Jakartans commuting by bicycle.
“At the moment we are only using traffic cones [to mark the bike lanes], however we’re setting up a plan to make those lanes along Jl. Sudirman to Bundaran HI permanent,” Syafrin said on Wednesday as reported by kompas.com.
He also expressed hope the new bike lanes could provide safety and comfort for cyclists in the capital city.
“We plan to set up proper barriers along the lanes to guarantee safety and comfort for cyclists,” Syafrin said.
Jakarta has seen a significant increase of people commuting by bicycle since the COVID-19 pandemic started, as some residents turned to cycling to cope with mental health issues arising from being forced to stay at home for a long time.
The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) — a global NGO that promotes sustainable transportation and urban development — recorded a tenfold increase in the number of cyclists on Jl. Sudirman in Central Jakarta in June.
“Based on ITDP Indonesia’s observations on June 11, the number of cyclists has increased by 1,000 percent on Jl. Sudirman between 6:30 a.m. and 8 a.m. on a weekday compared to the data recorded last year on Oct. 23 and Nov. 6,” ITDP Indonesia spokesperson Fani Rachmita said in a written statement on Sunday.
The increased use of bicycles has also led the Jakarta administration to set up miles of makeshift lanes on Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Thamrin in Central Jakarta on Sunday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The city administration initially planned to expand the bike lane network to 63 kilometers this year out of the planned 500 km throughout the city. However, this year’s program is likely to be scrapped, as Jakarta has altered the city budget in response to COVID-19. (nal)
