Over the past week, sport cycling communities have been on the receiving end of a social media uproar after a photo went viral of a motorcyclist giving the finger to a peloton of cyclists taking up nearly the entire breadth of Jl. Sudirman, a principal artery of Central Jakarta.

Social media users criticized the cyclists for their apparent domination of the road and for making it difficult for motorists to pass, even though bike lanes existed on Jl. Sudirman.

Some 63 kilometers of designated bike lanes exist across the city.

Responding to the controversy, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said his administration prioritized bikes as means of transportation instead of for exercise or sport.

“People need to realize that the streets do not belong to only one mode of transportation. We should be considerate of our own safety and that of others when using the street,” Anies told reporters on Thursday morning.

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He said the city would add another 101 km of bike lanes by the end of the year and sought to eventually have a total of 500 km. “Building owners will also be required to provide parking spots for bikes, which should account for at least 10 percent of their parking capacity,” Anies said.

But the administration is planning to allow cyclists to use all the lanes on certain streets at certain times.

The city has tested the Kampung Melayu-Tanah Abang flyover in Central Jakarta as a designated cycling area on weekends from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. The administration is also considering allowing cyclists to ride outside designated bike lanes on Jl. Sudirman and Jl. MH Thamrin on weekdays from 5 a.m. to 6.30 a.m.

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The plans have elicited mixed reactions from biking communities and transportation experts.

Poetoet Soedarjanto of bike commuting community Bike to Work Indonesia said the plans appeared to give preferential treatment to people who used bicycles for sport or recreation, perhaps because of their speed and behavior on the road when in a peloton.

“We are worried that social envy could arise with the inclination [toward sport cyclists],” Potoet told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

He said existing and future cycling infrastructure, such as bike lanes and bike parking spaces, should be used by all kinds of cyclists, regardless of their bikes.

“Bikes are made for transportation, after all, not just for sport,” Potoet said.

Read also: Bicycle communities speak up about cycling ethics

Institute for Transportation and Development Policy Indonesia director Faela Sufa said the use of city streets should be allocated proportionally for everyone – pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.

She said bikes had been recognized as a crucial mode of city transportation in Jakarta, so cyclists should behave properly on the streets.

"They should all follow relevant traffic rules, as public places like the streets do not belong to the few,” Faela said.

Read also: Jakartans turn to bicycles to commute in ‘new normal’

She said bike lanes were sufficient for all types of cyclists, so additional facilities exclusive to sport cyclists, although not necessarily unlawful or unprecedented, should be reviewed to determine their urgency.

Ario Pratomo, the head of sport cycling group the Jakarta Cycling Community said not all sport cyclists were unruly on the streets.

Ario welcomed the Jakarta administration's plans. "It means that they are concerned and recognize us enough to want to facilitate us."

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