Sports journalist Wieta Rachmatia has been using Transjakarta, the capital city’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, since 2010. Most of the time, she takes the Corridor 9, a route that links Pinang Ranti in East Jakarta to Pluit in North Jakarta. As a woman, she had felt that the bus system was fine – that is until she became heavily pregnant.
“Pregnant women can’t get into the bus through separate door, especially at Pinang Ranti bus station, because the Transjakarta officers almost never open that door,” says Rachmatia, who gave birth last month.
“I had to jostle with other passengers to enter the bus,” she says. The officers who are supposed to open the separate access door for pregnant women never really paid attention to the passengers, whether there was a pregnant woman or not, so the door remained shut, she adds.
First coming into operation 13 years ago, the Transjakarta Busway system was one of Jakarta administration’s initiative to solve the problem of low quality public transport. The BRT system was built with the purpose that people can use public transportation comfortably and safely. But a closer look at the system and interviews with passengers and transport and urban experts show that in many aspects the system still caters mainly to the needs and experiences of working men.
There is a misperception that transport infrastructure and services are “gender neutral” and automatically benefit men and women in equal measures. However, studies show that women and men have different transportation needs. In addition, women often face barriers when using public transport.
Convenience
Pregnant women are not the only ones feeling the inconvenience of Transjakarta’s crowded but.
Elisa Sutanudjaja, an urbanist who works at Ruang Jakarta Center For Urban Studies (RUJAK), relates her own experience: "I got on the Semanggi bus stop. It was very crowded at time. Although the bus arrived every two to three minutes during rush hour, it was always packed with people.”
“Transjakarta operator established the tap-in and tap-out card system to find out which are the most crowded bus routes. But why hasn’t this led to the provision of more buses and the expansion of bus stations?” she asks.
Another important facility not provided by the Transjakarta system is restroom. There are no toilets at all the bus stops along Corridor 9. In fact, there is no mandatory requirement for transportation authority to provide toilets.
Toilet is an undeniably essential component to create a comfortable city for all. As people spend more time in public places, they will need private space to address the basic needs of the human body. For women, the demands of their physiological conditions are even more urgent. Pregnant women urinate more frequently. While on period, women use toilet more often to check on or change their menstrual pads.
Udayalaksmanakartiyasa Halim, an urban transport planner who works at the Institute For Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), tells me that although providing public toilets on Transjakarta bus stations is a good idea, it may not be translated well into reality.
“It is fair to build public toilets, but it should come with an extraordinary effort from the company,” he says.
“We know how poor the condition of public toilets in Jakarta is – or anywhere in Indonesia. If they are not committed to keeping well-maintained toilets, then it is probably best not to have them in the first place,” he says.
In addition, he adds, toilets need water supply and it can be difficult to install the pipes to the bus stations, which are located on streets’ medians.
Security
In March 2016, Thomson Reuters Foundation Institute and YouGov survey agency, released a list of cities with the most dangerous transport system for women. According to these survey, Jakarta ranks fifth as the city with the most dangerous transport system for women in the world.
One of the efforts that has been done to make Transjakarta bus ride safer for women is by creating women-only space in the bus. Anna Gultom, an employee at a Jakarta-based TV station has been using Transjakarta for three years. She says that she feels that Transjakarta has accommodated women’s need.
“In each bus now there’s a designated area for women. Also, there are special buses for female passengers,” she says.
University student Agatha Danastri says she feels safer after Transjakarta operator provides women-only area.
“The Transjakarta officers firmly prevents men from occupying designated area for women. I find that Transjakarta is more women friendly compared to the commuter line,” she says, referring to the train system connecting Jakarta to its many suburbs.
However, based on my personal observation, such policy is not strictly applied to the rest of the bus. For example, women who travel with their husband and children prefer to occupy the “mixed area” (in the back of the bus). Transjakarta officers do not usually prevent women from occupying this area. Though the women-only part is designated for women only, there is no sign for what is by default, the men's section.
In a sense, the problem of sexual harassment is reduced to being a problem that can be prevented by separating women from men. This, of course, is a wrong assumption.
Elisa says that despite the separation, sexual harassment continues to occur in the bus. It all goes back to the fact that there are not enough busses to accommodate the massive volume of passengers.
“Sexual harassment occurs when a bus is very packed with passengers, right? There aren’t many buses so that people don’t have other choice, but riding a very crowded bus. In a packed bus, there would be greater risks of sexual abuse. If the bus is not too crowded, people can keep an eye on each other."
Lighting is also an important issue, particularly in Transjakarta bus stops. Improving lighting in public places could serve many purposes, one of them is prevention of crime. Security affects both men and women but women have a higher risk of being crime victims. Based on my personal observation, the majority of elevated bridges, which also functioned as pedestrian bridges, are not well illuminated. Also, only small number of them are equipped with CCTV.
Why are some elevated bridges equipped with CCTV, while others aren’t? And why are some Transjakarta bus stops well lighted while others aren't?
Halim says that before January 2014, Transjakarta institutional status was city government agency under Jakarta Transportation Agency. Starting January 2014, however, its status changed to city-owned enterprise. With the change of this institutional status, Jakarta Transportation Agency must hand over all assets to PT Transjakarta 13, including the pedestrian crossing bridges. However, the asset-transferring process needs time. Consequently, PT Transjakarta cannot do anything about elevated bridges that are not equipped with CCTV, because it is not their responsibility.
Improving Transjakarta
All of these are evidence that Transjakarta facilities have not fully accommodating to women’s need. Elisa also points out that to many women riding Transjakarta bus: there is not enough space to put things.
“Women often carry things. For those who work, they carry shoes and lunch box. On some particular routes that pass shopping centers, many women carry shopping bag. I have suggested that Transjakarta operator creates upper deck compartment”, she says.
Asked what other things should be provided by Transjakarta operator, she suggests an elevator at certain bus stops to accommodate pregnant women, the elderly and differently-abled people. In addition, she believes that big stations should provide toilets and small clinics
“I have seen a passenger who fainted because of excessively long waiting time at bus stops,” she says.
Making Transjakarta bus rides safer and more convenient for women can be the first step towards making Jakarta a more humane city for all its citizens.
Tampilkan postingan dengan label English. Tampilkan semua postingan
Tampilkan postingan dengan label English. Tampilkan semua postingan
Selasa, 14 Februari 2017
Kamis, 20 November 2014
Basuki: TransJakarta Should Run All of the City’s Public Transport
The newly inaugurated governor of the Indonesian capital wants the city’s public transport operators to join TransJakarta and start using natural gas instead of petroleum-based fuels.
Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, also known as Ahok, said conversion to gas might be an appropriate solution for public transport operators who now have to adapt to higher fuel prices. The government this week slashed its subsidies on gasoline and diesel, which is used by the many of the non-TransJakarta buses plying the city’s roads.
Currently all public transport vehicles in use by TransJakarta use natural gas.
Basuki also suggested that the various public transport operators in the city join TransJakarta, so that set schedules would apply to their services and drivers would receive a monthly salary.
Currently, many bus drivers wait for their vehicle to fill up before they hit the road, as their salary depends on the number of passengers they transport.
“If they join TransJakarta next year, that would be good for them — they can earn up to Rp 5 million [$410] a month,” Basuki said.
An additional advantage, Basuki said, would be that operators would have easier access to bank loans.
“They can purchase new buses, as banks will not reject their credit application,” the governor said.
Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, also known as Ahok, said conversion to gas might be an appropriate solution for public transport operators who now have to adapt to higher fuel prices. The government this week slashed its subsidies on gasoline and diesel, which is used by the many of the non-TransJakarta buses plying the city’s roads.
Currently all public transport vehicles in use by TransJakarta use natural gas.
Basuki also suggested that the various public transport operators in the city join TransJakarta, so that set schedules would apply to their services and drivers would receive a monthly salary.
Currently, many bus drivers wait for their vehicle to fill up before they hit the road, as their salary depends on the number of passengers they transport.
“If they join TransJakarta next year, that would be good for them — they can earn up to Rp 5 million [$410] a month,” Basuki said.
An additional advantage, Basuki said, would be that operators would have easier access to bank loans.
“They can purchase new buses, as banks will not reject their credit application,” the governor said.
Jumat, 17 Oktober 2014
Weekly 5: The capital’s big controversial projects
The city administration and the central government have come up with several mega projects that are expected to be a panacea to the capital’s many problems, especially its traffic and floods. Some of the projects, like the mass rapid transit (MRT) system and Transjakarta busway, get more nods from experts and the public than criticism. But others have met with more criticism than approval. Here are five controversial projects, planned and ongoing:
Giant Sea Wall
Worrying that Jakarta might sink, former governor Fauzi Bowo (2007-2012), who holds a PhD in urban planning, initiated the National Capital Integrated Coastal Development (NCICD) program, popularly known as the Giant Sea Wall (GSW). The project also included a reclamation project and the development of 17 artificial islets off the capital’s north coast.
The project, forecast to require hundreds of trillions of rupiah in funding, is designed to involve private investment. Critics and experts, however, have been sceptical of the project, pointing out that it will only favor business interests.
The outgoing central government recently held a launch of what it said was the first phase of the NCICD program, namely a 32-kilometer embankment along the coast of Jakarta. The embankment is designed to be 75 meters high, while the width of the surface is planned to be 13.7 meters.
Monorail
Thinking that Jakarta residents needed to be able to move more quickly inside the capital, former governor Sutiyoso introduced a plan to build a monorail. Private consortium PT Jakarta Monorail won the project, which until now has been in limbo.
The consortium proposed to build two routes, the first being the green line to serve Kuningan-Kuningan Sentral-Gatot Subroto-Senayan-Asia Afrika-Pejompongan-Karet-Dukuh Atas-Kuningan. The second route would be the blue line, serving Kampung Melayu-Tebet-Kuningan-Casablanca-Tanah Abang-Roxy-Taman Anggrek.
Pointing out that the project and the consortium were not feasible, Deputy Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama said he would cancel the project once he took over the leadership from outgoing Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
Six inner-city toll roads
Thinking that Jakarta had not enough roads to cope with the ever-increasing number of cars, Sutiyoso (1997-2007), a former military general, introduced a plan to build a 69.7-kilometer inner-city toll road, divided into six parts, that would involve an investment of Rp 42 trillion (US$3.63 billion).
The toll roads were designed to connect all five of Jakarta’s municipalities.
The plan was widely resisted by urban planners, activists and netizens, and in early 2013 at least 4,000 people signed a petition demanding that the city administration cancel the plan.
However, the Public Works Agency and the city administration recently signed an agreement to begin the project.
Overpasses
Thinking that it would reduce traffic gridlock, Fauzi Bowo initiated a plan to construct overpasses connecting busy areas such as Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta; Casablanca, South Jakarta; Pangeran Antasari and Blok M in South Jakarta.
The idea was that building new roads would improve the “road ratio” (the number of vehicles compared to the total length of roads available) and thus reduce traffic congestion, an assumption many experts deemed misleading.
In 2010, there were at least 40 overpasses in Jakarta, built either by the Public Works Agency or the city administration, and more than 10 underpasses, none of which have been able to reduce traffic congestion in the city — in fact, they only relocated the congestion elsewhere.
Ciliwung deep tunnel
Aiming to make water flow faster, thus, reducing the risk of flooding in the capital, Sutiyoso came up with an idea to construct a deep tunnel connecting the Ciliwung River with the East Flood Canal (KBT) to reroute part of the Ciliwung River water to the KBT during the rainy season.
Sudirman Asun of the Ciliwung Institute, however, said that as long as the city did nothing to improve water catchment areas in South Jakarta, such a project would only harm the lower area of North Jakarta, as water would arrive faster than it could actually handle.
The Ciliwung Institute also criticized the construction of a concrete embankment along a 19-kilometer stretch of the river in Jakarta, saying the concrete would reduce the river’s water catchment capacity.
Giant Sea Wall
Worrying that Jakarta might sink, former governor Fauzi Bowo (2007-2012), who holds a PhD in urban planning, initiated the National Capital Integrated Coastal Development (NCICD) program, popularly known as the Giant Sea Wall (GSW). The project also included a reclamation project and the development of 17 artificial islets off the capital’s north coast.
The project, forecast to require hundreds of trillions of rupiah in funding, is designed to involve private investment. Critics and experts, however, have been sceptical of the project, pointing out that it will only favor business interests.
The outgoing central government recently held a launch of what it said was the first phase of the NCICD program, namely a 32-kilometer embankment along the coast of Jakarta. The embankment is designed to be 75 meters high, while the width of the surface is planned to be 13.7 meters.
Monorail
Thinking that Jakarta residents needed to be able to move more quickly inside the capital, former governor Sutiyoso introduced a plan to build a monorail. Private consortium PT Jakarta Monorail won the project, which until now has been in limbo.
The consortium proposed to build two routes, the first being the green line to serve Kuningan-Kuningan Sentral-Gatot Subroto-Senayan-Asia Afrika-Pejompongan-Karet-Dukuh Atas-Kuningan. The second route would be the blue line, serving Kampung Melayu-Tebet-Kuningan-Casablanca-Tanah Abang-Roxy-Taman Anggrek.
Pointing out that the project and the consortium were not feasible, Deputy Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama said he would cancel the project once he took over the leadership from outgoing Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
Six inner-city toll roads
Thinking that Jakarta had not enough roads to cope with the ever-increasing number of cars, Sutiyoso (1997-2007), a former military general, introduced a plan to build a 69.7-kilometer inner-city toll road, divided into six parts, that would involve an investment of Rp 42 trillion (US$3.63 billion).
The toll roads were designed to connect all five of Jakarta’s municipalities.
The plan was widely resisted by urban planners, activists and netizens, and in early 2013 at least 4,000 people signed a petition demanding that the city administration cancel the plan.
However, the Public Works Agency and the city administration recently signed an agreement to begin the project.
Overpasses
Thinking that it would reduce traffic gridlock, Fauzi Bowo initiated a plan to construct overpasses connecting busy areas such as Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta; Casablanca, South Jakarta; Pangeran Antasari and Blok M in South Jakarta.
The idea was that building new roads would improve the “road ratio” (the number of vehicles compared to the total length of roads available) and thus reduce traffic congestion, an assumption many experts deemed misleading.
In 2010, there were at least 40 overpasses in Jakarta, built either by the Public Works Agency or the city administration, and more than 10 underpasses, none of which have been able to reduce traffic congestion in the city — in fact, they only relocated the congestion elsewhere.
Ciliwung deep tunnel
Aiming to make water flow faster, thus, reducing the risk of flooding in the capital, Sutiyoso came up with an idea to construct a deep tunnel connecting the Ciliwung River with the East Flood Canal (KBT) to reroute part of the Ciliwung River water to the KBT during the rainy season.
Sudirman Asun of the Ciliwung Institute, however, said that as long as the city did nothing to improve water catchment areas in South Jakarta, such a project would only harm the lower area of North Jakarta, as water would arrive faster than it could actually handle.
The Ciliwung Institute also criticized the construction of a concrete embankment along a 19-kilometer stretch of the river in Jakarta, saying the concrete would reduce the river’s water catchment capacity.
Rabu, 08 Oktober 2014
Spreading the News: How Good Communication Builds a Great BRT
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| A prominent advertisement for the upcoming BRT stretches across a shopping center along the corridor in Yichang, China. |
But public communication shouldn’t wait for the system to open to get started. Though BRT’s short implementation periods minimize the disruption to the city’s streets, some inconvenience is inevitable during construction. A robust public communications plan helps explain the benefits to come and justify the inconveniences. Successful cities have seen public support for a system actually rise during construction, as the public learns more and becomes invested in the project.
Though the system won’t open for nearly a year, residents of Yichang can hardly turn their heads without learning more about the BRT. Advertisements on shopping centers across the city and on buildings along the corridor broadcast the message “better streets, better mobility”, display corridor maps and station renderings provided by ITDP, and list the benefits the corridor will bring. Even the traffic police are on board, handing out leaflets with helpful routes and information as they manage the shifts in traffic flow caused by construction.
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| O Explicador has helped spread the world about how to use Rio de Janeiro’s new BRT systems. |
In Johannesburg, South Africa, system planners engaged local residents by launching a naming contest for 16 Rea Vaya station in 2012. As construction on corridor 1b continued, the city encouraged local leaders and area residents to suggest and vote on names for stations in their districts. According to MMC for Transport Rehana Moosajee, the contest helped local residents feel a sense of ownership over the system and boosted enthusiasm ahead of the corridor opening.
“Changing the general public’s perceptions about public transportation is fundamental to building project support” – the BRT Planning Guide
Building a successful BRT system has many steps. As BRT is adopted in city after city around the globe, educating the public on how and why to use the system is critical for keeping the image of BRT on the rise. And as these cities have seen, often a little communication can go a long way.
[ITDP]
Jumat, 12 September 2014
TransJakarta Says Hundreds of Its Buses Are Not Roadworthy
“TransJakarta now has 700 buses, only 450 buses are roadworthy, the rest need to be replaced,” said Antonius Kosasih, a director at the bus operator.
Antonius said that in order to meet public demand and prevent accidents, the company was in a dire need of new buses.
TransJakarta needs at least 1,300 buses to provide optimal service for commuters and to make sure queues are not too long, he said.
“If we want to have 1,300 buses, we need to purchase at least 850 buses within the next two years,” Antonius said, adding this number of buses would be sufficient to serve 12 routes.
He also said the company would prepare detailed specifications to avoid a fiasco like the procurement of Chinese-made buses that were found to not meet quality standards.
“The [quality of the] buses must be of international standard: we want to buy buses whose spare parts are available here,” he said.
Jakarta Transportation Agency head Muhammad Akbar said his office was working to procure the needed buses.
“We are in the middle of the process, I hope we can sign the contract in the near future and I am confident we will have 600 news buses by next year,” he said.
Senin, 09 Juni 2014
France is Paying Commuters to Bike to Work
[Inhabitat June 4, 2014]
France has started a six-month experiment with paying people to cycle to work, joining other European governments in trying to boost bicycle use to boost people's health, reduce air pollution and cut fossile fuel consumption. Several countries including the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, Belgium and Britain have bike-to-work schemes, with different kinds of incentives such as tax breaks, payments per kilometre and financial support for buying bicycles. The ministry hopes that the bike-to-work incentive scheme will boost bike use for commuting by 50 percent from 2.4 percent of all work-home journeys, or about 800 million km, with an average distance of 3.5 km per journey. [Newsloop Top News June 2, 2014]
Senin, 05 Mei 2014
After 10 years, Transjakarta sets basic standards of service
After 10 years in operation, the Transjakarta bus service now has a minimum service standard (SPM) guaranteeing the rights and safety of passengers.
Jakarta Transportation Agency head Muhammad Akbar said on Saturday that the SPM, imposed via Gubernatorial Regulation No. 35/2014, would force Transjakarta operators to improve services.
“The SPM sets clear standards for Transjakarta and will help it become a better form of public transportation,” he said.
The SPM covers security, safety, comfort, pricing, equality and reliability of both Transjakarta buses and shelters.
Security, for example, pertains to the condition of the buses, safety equipment and emergency information.
Comfort relates to air-conditioning, passenger capacity and the cleanliness and lighting of buses and shelters.
Crucially for passengers, the SPM sets a maximum wait time between buses of seven minutes during peak hours and 15 minutes during regular hours.
The SPM also mandates buses run no longer than 10 minutes behind schedule.
During rush hour, passengers have reported waiting up to two hours for their bus to come.
Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) country director Yoga Adiwinarto said the SPM guaranteed the terms of service passengers were entitled to after purchasing a ticket.
“If the service passengers get is not the same as what’s stated in the SPM, they can sue the government,” he said.
Yoga added that the SPM would be used by the city administration to determine the subsidy paid to Transjakarta via a public service obligation (PSO).
Though the operation of Transjakarta buses is under the auspices of the Transportation Agency’s Transjakarta Management Body, city-owned firm PT Transjakarta will take the reins in the near future.
“The administration will use the SPM to evaluate the performance of the company to decide the amount of the PSO it will get,” he said.
Yoga recommended that the city administration regularly evaluate the company every three months to improve service.
Meanwhile, the coordinator of a bus user community called Suara Transjakarta, David Tjahjana, said he was glad that after 10 years, Transjakarta had finally set a minimum service standard.
“I have not read the regulation, so I don’t really know whether the SPM is adequate but it is an important step to improve our public transportation service,” he said.
David said he and the members of Suara Transjakarta had proposed an SPM to the city administration several years ago.
“The SPM will set clear grounds for customers when they want to file complaints, so the complaints will not be based on subjective feeling,” he said.
David went on to say that he understood it would take time for Transjakarta to implement the SPM. “It is impossible to become perfect overnight, but at least there will be improvement,” he said.
According to David, Transjakarta needed the most improvement in waiting time, access for disabled passengers and the comfort of passengers inside the bus.
Recently, the city has taken several steps to improve Transjakarta service, including clearing traffic from bus lanes, adding more buses and providing feeder buses.
Tranjakarta currently has around 500 buses serving 350,000 passengers in 12 corridors across the city daily. The city has allocated Rp 1.7 trillion (US$147 million) to the service.
Jakarta Transportation Agency head Muhammad Akbar said on Saturday that the SPM, imposed via Gubernatorial Regulation No. 35/2014, would force Transjakarta operators to improve services.
“The SPM sets clear standards for Transjakarta and will help it become a better form of public transportation,” he said.
The SPM covers security, safety, comfort, pricing, equality and reliability of both Transjakarta buses and shelters.
Security, for example, pertains to the condition of the buses, safety equipment and emergency information.
Comfort relates to air-conditioning, passenger capacity and the cleanliness and lighting of buses and shelters.
Crucially for passengers, the SPM sets a maximum wait time between buses of seven minutes during peak hours and 15 minutes during regular hours.
The SPM also mandates buses run no longer than 10 minutes behind schedule.
During rush hour, passengers have reported waiting up to two hours for their bus to come.
Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) country director Yoga Adiwinarto said the SPM guaranteed the terms of service passengers were entitled to after purchasing a ticket.
“If the service passengers get is not the same as what’s stated in the SPM, they can sue the government,” he said.
Yoga added that the SPM would be used by the city administration to determine the subsidy paid to Transjakarta via a public service obligation (PSO).
Though the operation of Transjakarta buses is under the auspices of the Transportation Agency’s Transjakarta Management Body, city-owned firm PT Transjakarta will take the reins in the near future.
“The administration will use the SPM to evaluate the performance of the company to decide the amount of the PSO it will get,” he said.
Yoga recommended that the city administration regularly evaluate the company every three months to improve service.
Meanwhile, the coordinator of a bus user community called Suara Transjakarta, David Tjahjana, said he was glad that after 10 years, Transjakarta had finally set a minimum service standard.
“I have not read the regulation, so I don’t really know whether the SPM is adequate but it is an important step to improve our public transportation service,” he said.
David said he and the members of Suara Transjakarta had proposed an SPM to the city administration several years ago.
“The SPM will set clear grounds for customers when they want to file complaints, so the complaints will not be based on subjective feeling,” he said.
David went on to say that he understood it would take time for Transjakarta to implement the SPM. “It is impossible to become perfect overnight, but at least there will be improvement,” he said.
According to David, Transjakarta needed the most improvement in waiting time, access for disabled passengers and the comfort of passengers inside the bus.
Recently, the city has taken several steps to improve Transjakarta service, including clearing traffic from bus lanes, adding more buses and providing feeder buses.
Tranjakarta currently has around 500 buses serving 350,000 passengers in 12 corridors across the city daily. The city has allocated Rp 1.7 trillion (US$147 million) to the service.
Sabtu, 15 Maret 2014
Minimum service standards needed for Transjakarta
Commuters and NGOs have urged Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to approve the draft proposal for minimum service standards for Transjakarta buses to guarantee an overall improvement in safety and services.
Drafted by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), the proposal was first submitted in 2010 to the administration of former governor Fauzi Bowo. It is expected to be implemented in the form of a gubernatorial regulation (pergub), providing guidelines, vision and service targets.
David Tjahjana, the coordinator of a community of Transjakarta users Komunitas Suara Transjakarta, said Transjakarta should not be afraid of adopting minimum service standards.
“Transjakarta should not worry [about a service performance target]. The company simply needs to show a gradual improvement every year. It needs to have an incentive to improve,” he told The Jakarta Post over the phone on Friday.
He said once the minimum service standards were set, Transjakarta could focus on specific problems in order to improve its overall services.
“I believe passenger waiting time should be the main priority. Currently, the schedule is unpredictable and commuters cannot plan their journeys,” he said.
David added that many passengers complained about the inconsistency of bus arrivals in Corridor 8 (Lebak Bulus — Harmoni) and buses serving express routes such as the Senayan traffic circle to Kalideres.
“Even if the buses come once every hour, commuters will definitely prefer having an exact arrival time, which will give them more freedom to plan the rest of their day,” he said.
In addition, the majority of Transjakarta bus passengers still buy tickets at ticket booths because they find it difficult and inconvenient to top up the electronic cards.
Occasionally, passengers experience delays as a result of problems associated with the Transjakarta buses themselves.
Meanwhile, Transjakarta spokeswoman Sri Ulina Pinem said the draft had been submitted to Jokowi. “The SPM [Minimum Service Standards] of TJ [Transjakarta] is currently waiting for consideration by the governor,” she said on Thursday.
Rudy Thehamihardja, a member of the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI), said he wondered why it took so long for the city to approve the minimum service standards proposal.
He said that minimum service standards for public services were mandatory as stipulated in Government Regulation No. 65/2005 on guidelines to arrange and apply minimum service standards.
“Just compare Transjakarta with the public bus services in Singapore, where people get updates on the location of the buses and the estimated time of arrival, while here, there is no information whatsoever on arrival times,” he told the Post.
ITDP country director Yoga Adiwinarto said he hoped the minimum service standards for Transjakarta would the lead to widespread implementation of minimum requirements for all public transportation services.
“We need to have an organization that functions as an authority to implement the minimum service standards in public transportation,” he said.
Drafted by the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), the proposal was first submitted in 2010 to the administration of former governor Fauzi Bowo. It is expected to be implemented in the form of a gubernatorial regulation (pergub), providing guidelines, vision and service targets.
David Tjahjana, the coordinator of a community of Transjakarta users Komunitas Suara Transjakarta, said Transjakarta should not be afraid of adopting minimum service standards.
“Transjakarta should not worry [about a service performance target]. The company simply needs to show a gradual improvement every year. It needs to have an incentive to improve,” he told The Jakarta Post over the phone on Friday.
He said once the minimum service standards were set, Transjakarta could focus on specific problems in order to improve its overall services.
“I believe passenger waiting time should be the main priority. Currently, the schedule is unpredictable and commuters cannot plan their journeys,” he said.
David added that many passengers complained about the inconsistency of bus arrivals in Corridor 8 (Lebak Bulus — Harmoni) and buses serving express routes such as the Senayan traffic circle to Kalideres.
“Even if the buses come once every hour, commuters will definitely prefer having an exact arrival time, which will give them more freedom to plan the rest of their day,” he said.
In addition, the majority of Transjakarta bus passengers still buy tickets at ticket booths because they find it difficult and inconvenient to top up the electronic cards.
Occasionally, passengers experience delays as a result of problems associated with the Transjakarta buses themselves.
Meanwhile, Transjakarta spokeswoman Sri Ulina Pinem said the draft had been submitted to Jokowi. “The SPM [Minimum Service Standards] of TJ [Transjakarta] is currently waiting for consideration by the governor,” she said on Thursday.
Rudy Thehamihardja, a member of the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI), said he wondered why it took so long for the city to approve the minimum service standards proposal.
He said that minimum service standards for public services were mandatory as stipulated in Government Regulation No. 65/2005 on guidelines to arrange and apply minimum service standards.
“Just compare Transjakarta with the public bus services in Singapore, where people get updates on the location of the buses and the estimated time of arrival, while here, there is no information whatsoever on arrival times,” he told the Post.
ITDP country director Yoga Adiwinarto said he hoped the minimum service standards for Transjakarta would the lead to widespread implementation of minimum requirements for all public transportation services.
“We need to have an organization that functions as an authority to implement the minimum service standards in public transportation,” he said.
Kamis, 30 Januari 2014
Jokowi targets railway executives to lead Transjakarta
Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has commenced interviews to find the best people to lead city-owned firm PT Transjakarta, which operates the bus rapid transit system in the capital.
The governor met on Wednesday with a number of potential candidates to fill Transjakarta’s board of directors and commissioners.
Among the candidates were state-owned railway company PT KAI, operations area I Jakarta head, Heru Herawan; assistant to vice president for human resources development, Tri Kuncoro; and training and education center head, Wijanarko.
After lunchtime, the three officials were seen leaving the governor’s office. They declined to explain the purpose of the meeting, saying that “we were just having a chat with the governor for about 10 minutes”.
Heru did not answer when asked whether or not he had been offered a position with Transjakarta.
Separately, however, Jokowi confirmed that the meeting with the railway company officials was part of the recruitment process.
“I interviewed about seven candidates today from various backgrounds, including banking, private bus operators, mechanical engineering and management. I need to directly talk to them to get to know them,” he said.
The governor said that he considered appointing up to eight people to fill the board of commissioners and directors.
“[I’m aiming for] two or three commissioners, a president director, a finance director, a general affairs director, an operational director and a technical director. I want the best people in their respective fields,” he said, but did not identify the remaining candidates.
Jokowi promised to complete the process in the near future. “I want to complete it soon and then formalize it,” he said without setting a definite date.
Contacted separately, KAI spokesman Sugeng Priyono confirmed that the governor had communicated with the railway operator to find suitable candidates to develop Transjakarta.
“I can’t give you the details, but yes, Pak governor has asked us to help him find suitable candidates to fill Transjakarta’s board of directors,” he said.
Sugeng pointed out that the candidates from his company were senior officials with many years of experience in KAI.
Previously, Deputy Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama said that he had asked KAI president director Ignasius Jonan for a number of recommendations to lead Transjakarta, which is expected to become a major transportation company in the future.
Jokowi and Ahok have previously appointed high-ranking officials with KAI to lead city-owned mass rapid transit operator PT MRT Jakarta.
Jokowi appointed KAI Division I Medan vice president, Muhammad Nasir, to be MRT construction director and KAI’s Manggarai maintenance center head, Albert Tara, to sit as operational and maintenance director.
Ahok acknowledged that the appointments were aimed at bridging cooperation with the railway company, as the city administration planned to integrate public transportation modes operating in the capital.
The head of the Jakarta branch of the Indonesia Transportation Society, Tri Tjahjono, said that strong leadership within Transjakarta would determine the future of the company, which achieved its new status as a city-owned company earlier this year. It previously was a sub-unit under the auspices of the Jakarta Transportation Agency.
“Transjakarta should be a bankable city-owned transportation company which can provide the best service to the public,” he said.
After 10 years of operations, Transjakarta now has 12 corridors — connecting every municipality in Jakarta, with 579 buses carrying more than 370,000 passengers daily.
The governor met on Wednesday with a number of potential candidates to fill Transjakarta’s board of directors and commissioners.
Among the candidates were state-owned railway company PT KAI, operations area I Jakarta head, Heru Herawan; assistant to vice president for human resources development, Tri Kuncoro; and training and education center head, Wijanarko.
After lunchtime, the three officials were seen leaving the governor’s office. They declined to explain the purpose of the meeting, saying that “we were just having a chat with the governor for about 10 minutes”.
Heru did not answer when asked whether or not he had been offered a position with Transjakarta.
Separately, however, Jokowi confirmed that the meeting with the railway company officials was part of the recruitment process.
“I interviewed about seven candidates today from various backgrounds, including banking, private bus operators, mechanical engineering and management. I need to directly talk to them to get to know them,” he said.
The governor said that he considered appointing up to eight people to fill the board of commissioners and directors.
“[I’m aiming for] two or three commissioners, a president director, a finance director, a general affairs director, an operational director and a technical director. I want the best people in their respective fields,” he said, but did not identify the remaining candidates.
Jokowi promised to complete the process in the near future. “I want to complete it soon and then formalize it,” he said without setting a definite date.
Contacted separately, KAI spokesman Sugeng Priyono confirmed that the governor had communicated with the railway operator to find suitable candidates to develop Transjakarta.
“I can’t give you the details, but yes, Pak governor has asked us to help him find suitable candidates to fill Transjakarta’s board of directors,” he said.
Sugeng pointed out that the candidates from his company were senior officials with many years of experience in KAI.
Previously, Deputy Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama said that he had asked KAI president director Ignasius Jonan for a number of recommendations to lead Transjakarta, which is expected to become a major transportation company in the future.
Jokowi and Ahok have previously appointed high-ranking officials with KAI to lead city-owned mass rapid transit operator PT MRT Jakarta.
Jokowi appointed KAI Division I Medan vice president, Muhammad Nasir, to be MRT construction director and KAI’s Manggarai maintenance center head, Albert Tara, to sit as operational and maintenance director.
Ahok acknowledged that the appointments were aimed at bridging cooperation with the railway company, as the city administration planned to integrate public transportation modes operating in the capital.
The head of the Jakarta branch of the Indonesia Transportation Society, Tri Tjahjono, said that strong leadership within Transjakarta would determine the future of the company, which achieved its new status as a city-owned company earlier this year. It previously was a sub-unit under the auspices of the Jakarta Transportation Agency.
“Transjakarta should be a bankable city-owned transportation company which can provide the best service to the public,” he said.
After 10 years of operations, Transjakarta now has 12 corridors — connecting every municipality in Jakarta, with 579 buses carrying more than 370,000 passengers daily.
Kamis, 23 Januari 2014
Transjakarta BUMD
Transjakarta has finally changed its institutional status from the government agency to City-Owned Enterprise, or BUMD in Indonesian term. This movement is following ITDP's recommendation to the Jakarta city government back from 2011, in an attempt to increase the performance of Transjakarta BRT service, the only full-scale BRT in Indonesia. The transformation to BUMD is believed to improve Transjakarta's management, allowing the organization to be more flexible in managing its funding, recruiting its staffs as well as spending in infrastructure improvement, where previously all of those activities were restricted by government's regulation.
The move into BUMD will also allow Transjakarta to recruit the best people to become the CEO and board of directors, as well as recruiting experts and professionals to join the team to manage the BRT system with the longest Corridor in the world.
The success of creating BUMD is a result of 3 years consultation process between the City Government and the City Council, and ITDP helped this process from the beginning by drafting the white paper for the regulation, legal review of the draft regulation, creating the business plan and investment plan for Transjakarta and standing in expert panel during the consultation process with the council.
The transition process for the transformation is already started in January 2014, with the selection process of CEO and the Commissioner for the company, and it is expected that all the changes and improvement to be seen during the first half of 2014.
The move into BUMD will also allow Transjakarta to recruit the best people to become the CEO and board of directors, as well as recruiting experts and professionals to join the team to manage the BRT system with the longest Corridor in the world.
The success of creating BUMD is a result of 3 years consultation process between the City Government and the City Council, and ITDP helped this process from the beginning by drafting the white paper for the regulation, legal review of the draft regulation, creating the business plan and investment plan for Transjakarta and standing in expert panel during the consultation process with the council.
The transition process for the transformation is already started in January 2014, with the selection process of CEO and the Commissioner for the company, and it is expected that all the changes and improvement to be seen during the first half of 2014.
Transjakarta Corridor 1 Achieved Silver Standard
Transjakarta BRT Corridor 1 achieved the Silver Standard BRT in the ITDP BRT Standard Rating System. The first corridor, opened 10 years ago, has recently shown some improvements which pushed the ratings from Bronze to Silver. Stricter measure on traffic enforcement, integration with other modes and the addition of higher capacity 18-meter buses into the system have all contributed to the improvement of Corridor 1 performance.
The BRT Standard was developed by ITDP with the purpose to create common definitions of bus rapid transit (BRT) and to make sure that passenger service, infrastructure design, economics benefits, and positive environmental impacts of BRT systems around the world have uniformity. Furthermore, the BRT Standard scoring system offers recognition to high quality BRT systems around the world by certifying a BRT corridor as basic BRT, bronze, silver, or gold standard for the current international best practices for BRT systems.
Corridor 1 which runs from Blok M to Kota excels in some categories such as service planning, station design and Station-Bus interface. Other parameters, such as bicycle integration and passing lanes at stations, could potentially increase the scoring for Transjakarta and currently ITDP is working with city to implement those measures along corridor 1.
In addition to Corridor 1, other six Transjakarta corridors achieved The Bronze Standard whilst the remaining five Corridors only achieved the BRT Basic Rating.
Transjakarta, the first BRT system in Asia, began operation in 2004 and already has the longest BRT corridor with 12 Corridors span over 250 km and cover almost the entire city. The current plan to improve Transjakarta also includes three more corridors to add within the next few years. On its 10th year anniversary, Transjakarta remains to be one of the favorite modes of transportation in Jakarta. The city, with the assistance from ITDP is also planning to increase Transjakarta capacity, and current proposal on this plan includes BRT Station expansion and service integration with direct service system to further increase the coverage of the system. It is estimated that Transjakarta could double its ridership from currently 350,000 passengers daily after the plan is implemented .
The BRT Standard was developed by ITDP with the purpose to create common definitions of bus rapid transit (BRT) and to make sure that passenger service, infrastructure design, economics benefits, and positive environmental impacts of BRT systems around the world have uniformity. Furthermore, the BRT Standard scoring system offers recognition to high quality BRT systems around the world by certifying a BRT corridor as basic BRT, bronze, silver, or gold standard for the current international best practices for BRT systems.
Corridor 1 which runs from Blok M to Kota excels in some categories such as service planning, station design and Station-Bus interface. Other parameters, such as bicycle integration and passing lanes at stations, could potentially increase the scoring for Transjakarta and currently ITDP is working with city to implement those measures along corridor 1.
In addition to Corridor 1, other six Transjakarta corridors achieved The Bronze Standard whilst the remaining five Corridors only achieved the BRT Basic Rating.
Transjakarta, the first BRT system in Asia, began operation in 2004 and already has the longest BRT corridor with 12 Corridors span over 250 km and cover almost the entire city. The current plan to improve Transjakarta also includes three more corridors to add within the next few years. On its 10th year anniversary, Transjakarta remains to be one of the favorite modes of transportation in Jakarta. The city, with the assistance from ITDP is also planning to increase Transjakarta capacity, and current proposal on this plan includes BRT Station expansion and service integration with direct service system to further increase the coverage of the system. It is estimated that Transjakarta could double its ridership from currently 350,000 passengers daily after the plan is implemented .
Silver
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Corridor 1
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Bronze
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Corridor 2
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Basic BRT
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Corridor 7
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Corridor 3
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Corridor 8
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Corridor 4
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Corridor 9
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Corridor 5
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Corridor 10
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Corridor 6
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Corridor 11
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Corridor 12
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Selasa, 07 Januari 2014
Your letters: On Transjakarta Bus Lanes
I admit I’ve entered Transjakarta bus lanes a couple of times when I drive.
Sometimes, I don’t give way for a bus full of people that wants to enter my lane.
Perhaps I felt frustrated driving on Jakarta’s congested roads, or perhaps I feel incredulous at the bus driver’s impoliteness in the way he sought to enter the lane but afterward I felt bad, as I became aware of the number of people on the bus; they only wanted to get home, as I did, and I was alone in my car while they did not have that luxury.
If only the buses were more comfortable, I would want to use them instead of drive my car. But then, I was one of the reasons the bus wasn’t more comfortable; I deliberately blocked its way.
I was the one who was rude.
If I were to give way to buses as I usually give way to ambulances, police cars and fire trucks, I’m not sure whether the bus way system would be needed.
So, I’ve been reflecting on an article, “A key year for city public transportation” (The Jakarta Post, Jan. 4), by Bambang Nurbianto, about the government not being too tough on motorcyclists — or perhaps drivers, too — as it referred to the busway system. I think we all need to be more aware about the way we drive or ride our vehicles.
Fernisia
Jakarta
Sometimes, I don’t give way for a bus full of people that wants to enter my lane.
Perhaps I felt frustrated driving on Jakarta’s congested roads, or perhaps I feel incredulous at the bus driver’s impoliteness in the way he sought to enter the lane but afterward I felt bad, as I became aware of the number of people on the bus; they only wanted to get home, as I did, and I was alone in my car while they did not have that luxury.
If only the buses were more comfortable, I would want to use them instead of drive my car. But then, I was one of the reasons the bus wasn’t more comfortable; I deliberately blocked its way.
I was the one who was rude.
If I were to give way to buses as I usually give way to ambulances, police cars and fire trucks, I’m not sure whether the bus way system would be needed.
So, I’ve been reflecting on an article, “A key year for city public transportation” (The Jakarta Post, Jan. 4), by Bambang Nurbianto, about the government not being too tough on motorcyclists — or perhaps drivers, too — as it referred to the busway system. I think we all need to be more aware about the way we drive or ride our vehicles.
Fernisia
Jakarta
Sabtu, 04 Januari 2014
A Key Year for City Public Transportation
Traveling alongside a congested road in an empty Transjakarta busway lanes makes one sympathize deeply with the hundreds of thousands of motorists using the regular roads, struggling against worsening traffic gridlock on a daily basis.
On a recent Saturday, most of the motorists, including myself, patiently passed through congested roads from the Harmoni intersection in Central Jakarta to the Tomang underpass in West Jakarta. Only a few motorists wanted to risk a fine of Rp 1 million (US$82.10).
The empty bus lanes are always tempting motorists, who are trapped in gridlock for hours during morning and evening peak hours. The enforcement of maximum fines — Rp 500,000 for motorcyclists and Rp 1 million for car drivers — since late November could significantly reduce the number of motorists entering the Transjakarta bus lanes.
But lately, more and more motorists have returned to these bus lanes. Perhaps they cannot bear worsening congestion, or maybe they know that police officers no longer tightly watch them. They may also think that persistently sticking to congested roads doesn’t make sense, as the bus lanes are unoccupied.
It is the task of the city authorities to set regulations and it is the task of good citizens to respect them. But it is naïve to enforce rigid bans on motorists entering Transjakarta bus lanes while the Jakarta government has not been able to use most of the 12 existing Transjakarta corridors optimally.
Citing a statement by Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, each Transjakarta bus lane needs at least between 120 and 150 buses for optimal use.
Meanwhile, existing buses only total 669, according to the Transjakarta busway website.
Don’t get me wrong. I am a regular user of public transportation and am one of the beneficiaries of the strong commitment of the city government to improve public transportation.
It is good to hear that the city government has allocated Rp 4.64 trillion in this year’s city budget to purchase 1,000 large buses for the Transjakarta busway and some 3,000 medium-sized buses, to try to double the number of passengers from 360,000 last year to 700,000 this year.
On a recent Saturday, most of the motorists, including myself, patiently passed through congested roads from the Harmoni intersection in Central Jakarta to the Tomang underpass in West Jakarta. Only a few motorists wanted to risk a fine of Rp 1 million (US$82.10).
The empty bus lanes are always tempting motorists, who are trapped in gridlock for hours during morning and evening peak hours. The enforcement of maximum fines — Rp 500,000 for motorcyclists and Rp 1 million for car drivers — since late November could significantly reduce the number of motorists entering the Transjakarta bus lanes.
But lately, more and more motorists have returned to these bus lanes. Perhaps they cannot bear worsening congestion, or maybe they know that police officers no longer tightly watch them. They may also think that persistently sticking to congested roads doesn’t make sense, as the bus lanes are unoccupied.
It is the task of the city authorities to set regulations and it is the task of good citizens to respect them. But it is naïve to enforce rigid bans on motorists entering Transjakarta bus lanes while the Jakarta government has not been able to use most of the 12 existing Transjakarta corridors optimally.
Citing a statement by Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama, each Transjakarta bus lane needs at least between 120 and 150 buses for optimal use.
Meanwhile, existing buses only total 669, according to the Transjakarta busway website.
Don’t get me wrong. I am a regular user of public transportation and am one of the beneficiaries of the strong commitment of the city government to improve public transportation.
It is good to hear that the city government has allocated Rp 4.64 trillion in this year’s city budget to purchase 1,000 large buses for the Transjakarta busway and some 3,000 medium-sized buses, to try to double the number of passengers from 360,000 last year to 700,000 this year.
Sabtu, 06 Januari 2007
Affordable bus fares
The opening of new busway routes in Jakarta indicates that the system, established in 2004, has received a positive response from the public. Since its establishment, the busway, the seed for an envisioned comprehensive Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system, has grown to include three routes. The first is from Blok M (South Jakarta) to Kota (downtown); the second from Pulo Gadung (East Jakarta) to Harmoni (downtown); and the third from Harmoni to Kalideres (West Jakarta). Several more routes are in the construction phase.
With its fleet of TransJakarta buses, the busway has enjoyed growing popularity among residents. While there has not been any thorough research done on the subject, it is generally accepted that more and more people are leaving their cars at home and taking TransJakarta buses to the office.
Several new busway corridors will open this year. These new routes will connect Pulo Gadung and Hotel Indonesia; Kampung Melayu (East Jakarta) and Ancol (North Jakarta); Ragunan Zoo (South Jakarta) and Kuningan; and Kampung Rambutan (East Jakarta) and Kampung Melayu, also in East Jakarta.
However, as the city administration opens new routes it will have to spend more money subsidizing the busway's operations.
Once the new corridors are launched this year the administration will have to allocate Rp 382 billion to subsidize busway services. However, the administration appears to be rethinking the decision to so heavily subsidize the system. This despite the fact that the busway is part of the public transportation system, which in other countries are subsidized by the government because these countries recognize it is their duty to provide safe and reliable public transportation for citizens.
With a one-way ticket on the busway costing Rp 3,500 per person, the city administration has spent about Rp 100 billion a year subsidizing the system since its introduction.
A passenger traveling on the busway from Blok M to Ratu Plaza pays Rp 3,500, the same price as a person taking the same bus from Blok M to its final stop in Kota. Those going from Pulo Gadung to Kalideres will pay Rp 7,000; Rp 3,500 for Pulo Gadung to Harmoni, and another Rp 3,500 for Harmoni to Kalideres.
The administration and the City Council have been working on a solution to curb the subsidy, and the tentative solution they seem to have arrived at is to increase the TransJakarta fare from Rp 3,500 to Rp 5,000 per trip.
By increasing the fare the subsidy is expected to drop to Rp 100 billion, according to the chairman of the council's transportation commission, Sayogo Hendrosubroto.
This solution sounds reasonable in terms of keeping the subsidy down. But in terms of keeping the busway fare affordable for the majority of people, the planned fare hike needs to be reconsidered. The busway was designed to become the embryo for a comprehensive MRT system, with the understanding that the system should be able to transport as many as people as possible as quickly as possible.
If the number of passengers falls due to rising fares, the objective of the Mass Rapid Transit system cannot be achieved. The system will be rapid but will lose the mass aspect by pricing too many people out of the system.
If the busway fare is raised to Rp 5,000 per trip, a person traveling from Pulo Gadung to Kalideres would have to spend Rp 20,000 for a round trip, which would work out to Rp 400,000 a month if the trip was taken five days a week.
This will discourage people from taking TransJakarta busses and encourage them to buy motorcycles on installment plans, meaning the busway will have failed in its goal.
There must be some other solution. The busway fare must be affordable, but at the same time the city administration should not have to spend so much subsidizing the system.
Changing the ticketing system could be one alternative. People traveling to Ratu Plaza from Blok M should not have to purchase a full-price ticket to Kota. A ticketing system similar to ones used in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore should be considered. In these cities, passengers pay different amounts depending on the distance they are traveling. Such a system could be more acceptable to both passengers and the city administration.
However, such a ticketing system would probably require more of an investment, but the results would justify the expense.
With its fleet of TransJakarta buses, the busway has enjoyed growing popularity among residents. While there has not been any thorough research done on the subject, it is generally accepted that more and more people are leaving their cars at home and taking TransJakarta buses to the office.
Several new busway corridors will open this year. These new routes will connect Pulo Gadung and Hotel Indonesia; Kampung Melayu (East Jakarta) and Ancol (North Jakarta); Ragunan Zoo (South Jakarta) and Kuningan; and Kampung Rambutan (East Jakarta) and Kampung Melayu, also in East Jakarta.
However, as the city administration opens new routes it will have to spend more money subsidizing the busway's operations.
Once the new corridors are launched this year the administration will have to allocate Rp 382 billion to subsidize busway services. However, the administration appears to be rethinking the decision to so heavily subsidize the system. This despite the fact that the busway is part of the public transportation system, which in other countries are subsidized by the government because these countries recognize it is their duty to provide safe and reliable public transportation for citizens.
With a one-way ticket on the busway costing Rp 3,500 per person, the city administration has spent about Rp 100 billion a year subsidizing the system since its introduction.
A passenger traveling on the busway from Blok M to Ratu Plaza pays Rp 3,500, the same price as a person taking the same bus from Blok M to its final stop in Kota. Those going from Pulo Gadung to Kalideres will pay Rp 7,000; Rp 3,500 for Pulo Gadung to Harmoni, and another Rp 3,500 for Harmoni to Kalideres.
The administration and the City Council have been working on a solution to curb the subsidy, and the tentative solution they seem to have arrived at is to increase the TransJakarta fare from Rp 3,500 to Rp 5,000 per trip.
By increasing the fare the subsidy is expected to drop to Rp 100 billion, according to the chairman of the council's transportation commission, Sayogo Hendrosubroto.
This solution sounds reasonable in terms of keeping the subsidy down. But in terms of keeping the busway fare affordable for the majority of people, the planned fare hike needs to be reconsidered. The busway was designed to become the embryo for a comprehensive MRT system, with the understanding that the system should be able to transport as many as people as possible as quickly as possible.
If the number of passengers falls due to rising fares, the objective of the Mass Rapid Transit system cannot be achieved. The system will be rapid but will lose the mass aspect by pricing too many people out of the system.
If the busway fare is raised to Rp 5,000 per trip, a person traveling from Pulo Gadung to Kalideres would have to spend Rp 20,000 for a round trip, which would work out to Rp 400,000 a month if the trip was taken five days a week.
This will discourage people from taking TransJakarta busses and encourage them to buy motorcycles on installment plans, meaning the busway will have failed in its goal.
There must be some other solution. The busway fare must be affordable, but at the same time the city administration should not have to spend so much subsidizing the system.
Changing the ticketing system could be one alternative. People traveling to Ratu Plaza from Blok M should not have to purchase a full-price ticket to Kota. A ticketing system similar to ones used in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore should be considered. In these cities, passengers pay different amounts depending on the distance they are traveling. Such a system could be more acceptable to both passengers and the city administration.
However, such a ticketing system would probably require more of an investment, but the results would justify the expense.
Sabtu, 12 Juni 2004
Pedestrian walkways are the soul of Jakarta
Nirwono Joga, Jakarta
The best planning is early planning. A city is to be built in phases according to its master plan and available budget, instead of being fragmentarily designed in the process. This is the explanation for Jakarta's development muddle, if not failure.
Plans for the Jakarta Integrated Macro Transportation Network System, covering the mega projects of Busway I (Blok M-Kota), II (Pulo Gadung-Monas Business Center/MBC) and III (MBC-Kali Deres) of the 14-corridor proposed busway, the monorail (green line and blue line) transport or the subway/mass rapid transit system (Fatmawati-Kota), were done without prior analyses of the environmental and social impact, which should have been conducted independently and in great depth.
The schemes only focus on relieving the worsening traffic congestion, without any policy to control the number of private cars. Citizens are only treated as objects that have to be transported from one terminal to another.
In fact, the soul of the city lies in the space for pedestrian walkways, which are appropriately interconnected with all the other components of the metropolis. However excellent the mega projects may be, people eventually will have to walk to their destinations. Yet the urban space today does not accommodate pedestrians, who are forced to face motor vehicles and aggressive sidewalk vendors.
Roads as public space have for a long time served as a medium of socio-cultural interaction in Indonesia. Though this role is declining, Bandung retains Jl. Braga, Yogyakarta boasts Jl. Malioboro, Surabaya is famous for Jl. Tunjungan, and Jakarta was once proud of Jl. Pasar Baru now taken over by Jl. MH Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman. But this space is being replaced by supermarkets, hypermarkets, malls and town squares, while the narrowing and removal of tree-lined medians and sidewalks continue.
Sidewalks are so narrow (0.50-1.50 meters) that they are very inconvenient to walk on. Pedestrians are still hampered by the stairways of pedestrian overpasses, bus shelters, billboard frames, lamp posts, electricity and telephone cable poles, traffic signs, open drains and large flower pots. Some places have barbed-wire fences, not to mention sidewalk vendors, motorcycle or car workshops and plant sellers, who often leave no room for pedestrians.
In city planning, land use, transportation systems and walkways should form a proper synergy. The designs of Busway I, II and III of the 14-corridor busway planned, the monorail (green line and blue line) transport or the subway/mass rapid transit system (MRT) should be supported by feeders and transport modes connecting other city parts with busway, monorail and subway transit points. Proper and humane links between these points and pedestrian ways are frequently overlooked.
An environment impact analysis of the Busway I (Blok M-Kota) mega project, for instance, clearly indicates a disregard for the city environment's sustainability. The lack of comprehensive planning is reflected in the building of bus stops and walkways to access pedestrian overpasses, which have occupied tree-lined medians and systematically removed dozens of trees along Jl. Sudirman and Jl. MH Thamrin. Busway I has significantly reduced the quality of air and visual landscape of Jakarta's major roads.
The air quality degradation also results from the expansion of the three-in-one zones and trans-Jakarta buses. The presence of thirty jam-prone areas and alternative routes with limited capacity cause long hours of traffic jams, with polluting gas emissions around intersections and along substitute lanes.
The problem is that these locations are not supported by adequate greenbelt corridors. Tree felling for road widening and uncertain replanting programs have made the junctions and alternative streets barren and hot.
The incomplete busway design can also be noticed in the construction of bus stops and passageways leading to the existing pedestrian overpasses.
Along the busway route, the condition of sidewalks and pedestrian overpasses are not supportive or adequate either. The provincial administration should have reordered all these facilities, covering also zebra crossings, walkways and access paths to buildings along the route, instead of improving them fragmentarily and separately.
Therefore, the busway project ironically gives the impression of paying greater attention to buses and the trans-Jakarta busway project, rather than the humane treatment of pedestrians by providing proper space for movement and facilities for these prospective bus passengers.
The network of sidewalks should be seen as an integral subsystem of the city's human movement macro linkage system, which is more environmentally friendly, against the background of the Integrated Macro Transportation Network System, because finally everybody will have to walk to reach their destination.
The quality promotion of public space that is conducive (safe, shady, convenient, beautiful, healthy and environmentally friendly) to pedestrians is expected to prompt a lot more people to walk and go by bicycle, besides turning to public transportation like the busway, monorail and subway systems.
A humane program for improving pedestrian access should be carried out through a bottom-up approach by accommodating the characteristics of relevant plots along pedestrian lanes in line with their problems, potential and prospects for the quality enhancement of pedestrians' public space.
In the spirit of public-private partnership, results of bottom-up planning can serve as a means of communication between the regional administration assisted by consultants (as the sponsor) and plot owners (as stakeholders). The latter can lend their front yards for public space access by pedestrians with an agreement on compensation in the form of fiscal incentives.
The development of the Integrated Macro Transportation Network System through the mega projects of Busway I, II, III, the monorail (golden triangle) transport and later the Fatmawati-Kota subway/mass rapid transit system, unless conducted by adhering to the principle of sustainable development, will continue to reduce or even use up green belt areas, cut down city trees and ignore pedestrian walkways.
In brief, the busway, monorail or subway system without environmentally friendly pedestrian walkways is no way to go.
The writer is chairman of the Indonesian Landscape Architecture Study Group.
[Jakarta Post]
Senin, 05 Januari 2004
Busway, Whose Way?
Sebenarnya tidak ada argumen yang sungguh menolak busway secara mendasar. Orang hanya meragukan kemampuan pemerintah Jakarta membangun dan mengoperasikannya dengan baik, dan apakah kita memiliki konsep keseluruhan sistem transportasi Jakarta. Keraguan ini sangat beralasan, dilihat dari kinerjanya sejauh ini.
Dari bulan ke bulan, sebenarnya ada kemajuan penyampaian informasi kepada masyarakat. Namun secara sepotong-sepotong. Ini bukan sekadar perkara public relation yang buruk, melainkan memang tidak ada isi informasi yang dapat disampaikan secara lengkap. Sungguh tampak bahwa pemerintah tidak punya konsep komprehensif dari awal, dan semua dikembangkan serba sepotong-sepotong, sambil jalan. Awalnya diumumkan akan ada satu saja jalur busway. Lalu ada monorail. Lalu muncul kritik bahwa masalah transportasi Jakarta bukan hanya soal satu-dua jalur, melainkan masalah sistem intermoda yang terpadu. Tiba-tiba kini disampaikan bahwa busway dan monorail akan dipadukan. Bahkan monorail ternyata terdiri dari dua jalur. Belakangan ditambahkan bahwa semua itu akan menjadi embrio dari sebuah sistem menyeluruh. Tapi tidak tersedia keterangan tentang apa dan bagaimana "sistem yang menyeluruh" itu, karena memang belum ada konsepnya.
Jadi, kota ini memang "direncanakan" secara sepotong-sepotong. Ini sangat berbeda dengan "dibangun" sepotong-sepotong atau bertahap, yang di mana pun adalah wajar. Sistem transportasi Singapura sampai sekarang belum selesai. Jalur subway dari pusat kota ke Bandar Udara Changi baru beroperasi tahun 2002. Tapi perencanaannya sudah ada sejak tahun 1980-an. Sebaliknya, sampai sekarang tidak ada perencanaan jalur mass rapid transit dalam bentuk apa pun antara Jakarta dan Bandar Udara Soekarno-Hatta. Kalau kita mau meniru Singapura, setidaknya jangan citra luarnya, tapi semboyannya: the best planning is the earliest planning.
Pastilah sekarang staf birokrasi Jakarta dan para konsultannya sedang bekerja kalang-kabut menyiapkan konsep tersebut. Setidaknya demikian warga Jakarta yang cerdas, meskipun telah telanjur waswas: bagaimana mungkin sebuah prasarana yang begitu penting dan mahal diluncurkan tanpa didasarkan terlebih dahulu pada sebuah konsep menyeluruh, yang ternyata dikembangkan sambil jalan saja—itu pun setelah dikritik terlebih dahulu? Bahkan anggaran ditingkatkan berkali-kali, bukan karena ekspansi yang direncanakan, tetapi karena ada hal-hal yang lalai direncanakan sebelumnya.
Busway adalah hasil lobi sejumlah lembaga swadaya masyarakat (LSM). Mereka bahkan mendatangkan mantan Wali Kota Bogota, Dr. Penelosa, ke Jakarta, dan mengirim sejumlah pejabat, wartawan, dan wakil LSM ke Bogota, Kolombia, dengan biaya dari donor, untuk meyakinkan pemerintah. Sedangkan monorail adalah usulan investor, diwakili oleh Ruslan Diwiryo, tokoh yang pernah menjadi Direktur Jenderal Bina Marga di Departemen Pekerjaan Umum dan membidani privatisasi jalan tol di awal tahun 1990-an. Prakarsa pemerintah sendiri nol.
Penampilan fisik yang mulai tampak oleh kita selepas tahun baru ini jelas juga merisaukan. Balok-balok beton pemisah lajur tak lurus benar, tak mulus melengkung pada tikungan. Orang yang mengecat seenaknya jongkok di jalur cepat biasa, bukan melakukannya dari dalam jalur busway itu sendiri. Halte warna metalik kelihatan sophisticated, namun dari dekat tampak bentolan-bentolan las berdamping mur-baut. Pekerjaan yang kasar menjalari sekujur halte dan lerengan (ramp) yang menghubungkannya dengan jembatan pe- nyeberangan. Pekerjaan yang kasar tak dapat dilepaskan dari perancangan yang buruk. Sebelumnya ada sayembara perancangan halte, yang merupakan kerja sama dengan Ikatan Arsitek Indonesia (IAI) Daerah Jakarta, tapi hasilnya tak dipakai. Lalu muncul saja yang anonim seperti sekarang ini. Entah mengapa organisasi para arsitek itu diam saja. Ada sekitar 4.000 orang arsitek di ibu kota ini yang niscaya dapat menghasilkan yang lebih baik. Soalnya memang estetika adalah hal sah yang esensial untuk jalur ini, karena inilah poros identitas Jakarta yang merangkum 400 tahun sejarah perkembangannya, dan menguntai unsur-unsur yang mewakili setiap periodenya. Maka, apa saja pada poros ini tak boleh disamakan dengan "pekerjaan umum" biasa yang asal berdiri dan kuat.
Para difabel (ini adalah singkatan dari "different ability" yang sering digunakan dalam dunia arsitektur tata kota untuk desain bagi kaum cacat fisik) kabarnya juga dikecewakan. Protes para difabel hanya dijawab, "Kursi roda bisa naik, kok, kalau ada yang mendorong." Hasilnya, yang bukan difabel, selain diharapkan membantu yang difabel, juga harus berhati-hati karena semua lerengan tak berjenjang dan berlantai pelat baja, yang meskipun berbentol-bentol akan tetap licin bila terkena air dan lumpur.
Sejumlah ahli transportasi, terdiri dari seorang Deputi Kepala Bappenas Bidang Prasarana dan seorang direktur pada kantor Menteri Koordinator Ekuin, dalam konferensi pers 24 Desember 2003 silam menyesalkan bahwa nasihat yang mereka berikan (antara lain atas undangan dari pemerintah Jakarta sendiri) tak digubris. Bahwa mereka tidak menggunakan kedudukannya sebagai pejabat pemerintah nasional, tapi mengambil posisi sebagai "ahli" dan "LSM", sungguh menunjukkan ada yang tak beres.
Jadi, sangat wajar masyarakat meragukan profesionalisme pemerintah metropolis Jakarta, yang lebih tua daripada New York ini. Kinerjanya di muka khalayak memang tak elok. Akhirnya, memang diperlukan cara yang lebih menekan untuk membuat busway sukses. Pembatasan penggunaan mobil (3-in-1) memang teknik biasa saja. Tetapi di negeri lain hal itu diberlakukan setelah ada alternatif angkutan umum yang baik, bukan sebelumnya.
Membangun busway sama dengan memperkenalkan perubahan mendasar yang besar. Sebuah sistem atau modus angkutan umum adalah sebuah institusi. Prasarana fisik hanyalah salah satu bagian saja. Lebih penting lagi adalah sejumlah pranata kelembagaan, teknologi, rezim aturan dan tata krama, manajemen operasi, dan perilaku yang harus dilembagakan. Ini penting untuk kondisi kepadatan volumetrik dan programatik perkotaan, yang belum senapas dengan suatu bangsa yang belum lama mengenal budaya berkota. Ini adalah suatu institusi yang menuntut orang desa berubah sungguh-sungguh menjadi warga kota. Meskipun kepadatan Jakarta sebenarnya belum seberapa bila dibandingkan dengan ibu kota lain di dunia.
Kepadatan mobil di Jakarta sebenarnya masih rendah sekali. Kepadatan mobil Jakarta adalah 150 per 1.000 penduduk. AS telah mencapai kepadatan 300 per 1.000 penduduk pada tahun 1950-an! Singapura sekarang mencapai angka itu, sementara AS kini sudah mencapai 700 per 1.000 penduduk. Ini cukup alasan untuk panik, segera berpikir strategis jangka panjang menyiapkan sistem angkutan umum komprehensif yang efektif mengurangi penggunaan mobil. Luas jalan dibanding luas lahan terbangun Jakarta relatif sudah sangat tinggi, sehingga tak masuk akal untuk menambah luas jalan secara berarti.
Memperkenalkan suatu sistem baru seharusnya dilakukan dengan kehendak menanamkan suatu institusi baru. Jelas perkaranya jauh lebih luas daripada "sosialisasi" yang sering disalahkaprahkan menjadi sekadar menjelaskan agar orang paham dan menyetujui. Menanamkan institusi adalah suatu manajemen perubahan keseluruhan yang sistemik, termasuk perubahan perilaku yang harus dikelola secara terukur dan bertahap sebagai kunci keberhasilan.
Untuk bersikap realistis terhadap pemerintah yang berpikir dan bekerja sepotong-sepotong, dapat disampaikan lagi satu permohonan perhatian kepada pemerintah Jakarta se- nyampang ia menyiapkan suatu konsep menyeluruh, yaitu mengenai integrasi antara jaringan angkutan umum dan tata guna lahan sepanjang jalurnya, sehubungan dengan proses pertambahan nilai yang akan terbangkitkan di situ.
Busway dan monorail akan melalui jalur "gemuk", bersifat demand-driven. Investasi yang besar (anggaran yang diajukan telah mencapai lebih dari 250 miliar untuk busway saja) sebaiknya memang berhasil. Kalau berhasil, bagaimana dampaknya terhadap tata ruang Jakarta?
Nilai ruang kota ditentukan mendasar oleh guna-lahan dan kepadatan prasarana yang tersambung kepadanya. Setiap suntikan prasarana mengubah nilai ruang secara dramatis, karena jumlah lahan yang menjadi dasar ruang perkotaan bersifat tetap dan terikat bumi (tempat). Karena tidak ada dua produk ruang yang 100 persen identik, tiap komodifikasi ruang senantiasa berarti potensi monopoli, karena hanya ada satu produsen untuk satu jenis produk ruang. Maka, kita tahu bahwa pengembang yang berhasil adalah yang tahu lebih dulu rencana prasarana publik (contoh: pengembang Pondok Indah dan Pantai Indah Kapuk); atau yang melalui lobi berhasil mengubah rencana tata ruang dan prasarana, ketika ia mencapai skala ekonomi yang amat besar (contoh: Bumi Serpong Damai). Intervensi publik dalam ruang harus diperlakukan sangat hati-hati, karena berdampak luas dalam hal persaingan ekonomi dan keadilan.
Tiap gelaran prasarana bersifat diskriminatif, karena akan meningkatkan nilai ruang tertentu. Secara positif, dapat dikatakan ia bersifat "mengarahkan". Itulah sebabnya penggelaran prasarana, bersama dengan tata ruang, adalah alat yang amat menentukan dalam mengarahkan struktur kota. Nilai ruang sama sekali tidak terjadi dalam pasar bebas. Perencanaan menentukannya. Yang benar adalah perencanaan harus dilakukan dengan sepenuhnya menyadari dinamika pasar atas ruang, sebagai hubungan timbal balik antara intervensi dan realitas pasar. Karena kondisi di atas, kedua alat ini juga sangat potensial sebagai lahan korupsi. Sebaliknya, kedua alat itu sangat konstruktif bila berada di tangan yang bijak, karena bisa digunakan untuk menata kembali demi kemaslahatan orang banyak dan kesehatan jangka panjang seluruh kota.
Jalur-jalur angkutan umum bagi sebuah kota metropolitan sangat menentukan, karena mobilitas menentukan produktivitas. Ungkapan bahwa dalam bisnis property yang penting adalah (1) lokasi, (2) lokasi, dan (3) lokasi sebenarnya berarti: (1) akses ke lokasi, (2) pelayanan dan prasana tersambung ke lokasi, dan (3) guna lahan yang direncanakan untuknya, beserta citra kelas lokasi tersebut.
Jalur busway akan melewati Blok M, Sudirman, Thamrin, GajahMada/HayamWuruk, dan Stasiun Kota. Jalur monorail pertama akan melintasi Kampung Melayu, Tebet, Casablanca, Karet, Kebon Kacang, Tanah Abang, Cideng, dan Roxi. Sedangkan jalur monorail kedua akan melingkari Dukuh Atas/Sudirman, Kuningan/Rasuna Said, Gatot Subroto, Senayan, Pejompongan, dan Karet.
Sekali jalur ini berhasil, akan ada tekanan perubahan guna-lahan (land-use). Lahan-lahan yang relatif "kosong" pada saat ini, misalnya Senayan, Karet, dan Pejompongan, akan mendapat tekanan untuk diisi. Fungsi-fungsi lahan yang dianggap "belum optimal", misalnya permukiman di Setiabudi, Dukuh Atas, Cideng, Tanah Abang, Kebon Kacang, Menteng Dalam, Tebet, dan Kampung Melayu, akan ter-ancam tergusur oleh guna-lahan yang memberi keuntungan lebih tinggi. Penggusuran akan terjadi lagi. Migrasi netto negatif akan makin besar, ketika Jakarta kehilangan stock perumahan itu.
Sikap, pilihan, dan cara pemerintah mengendalikan proses nilai tambah dan perubahan guna lahan, termasuk membiarkannya secara laissez faire, baik karena ketidaktahuan, ketidakmampuan, ataupun ketidakmauan, akan menentukan busway ini sebenarnya whose way.
Marco Kusumawijaya
Arsitek perencana kota, salah satu pemrakarsa Asosiasi Pengguna Angkutan Umum
[Majalah Tempo Edisi. 45/XXXII/05 - 11 Januari 2004 / Batavia Busway]
Rabu, 31 Desember 2003
Experts deny being named as busway consultants
A number of transportation experts from the University of Indonesia (UI) denied on Tuesday that they were involved in the development of the bus rapid transit system, or busway, as has been claimed by the Jakarta administration.
The experts also affirmed they had never approved the development of the controversial 12.9-kilometer corridor from Blok M in South Jakarta to Kota in West Jakarta.
"We need to clarify our position on the busway project. We have never been appointed as consultants as reported by the media," said Sutanto Soehodo on behalf of the experts, grouped under UI's Center for Transport Study (CTS).
He was speaking at a press conference which was also attended by other CTS experts including Alvinsyah, Jachrizal Sumabrata, Taufik Adiwianto and Alan Marino.
Sutiyoso and other officials have frequently claimed that the project has been deemed workable by experts while responding to public criticism of the pilot project set to kick off on Jan. 15.
To support the operation, the administration has enforced a three-in-one traffic restriction along the corridor from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Sutanto said the CTS experts were involved only in drafting the Jakarta Macro Transportation Plan, which recommends, among other things, the opening of 14 busway corridors in the city, including the Blok M-Kota corridor.
But the experts did not recommend the already crowded Blok M-Kota route as the first to operate as it would only worsen traffic congestion along the route, he added.
The original recommendation was the opening of the corridor from Pulo Gadung in East Jakarta to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta, passing through Jl. Pemuda, Jl. Pramuka, Jl. Diponegoro and Jl. Imam Bonjol.
Other feasible corridors are:
The experts also affirmed they had never approved the development of the controversial 12.9-kilometer corridor from Blok M in South Jakarta to Kota in West Jakarta.
"We need to clarify our position on the busway project. We have never been appointed as consultants as reported by the media," said Sutanto Soehodo on behalf of the experts, grouped under UI's Center for Transport Study (CTS).
He was speaking at a press conference which was also attended by other CTS experts including Alvinsyah, Jachrizal Sumabrata, Taufik Adiwianto and Alan Marino.
Sutiyoso and other officials have frequently claimed that the project has been deemed workable by experts while responding to public criticism of the pilot project set to kick off on Jan. 15.
To support the operation, the administration has enforced a three-in-one traffic restriction along the corridor from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Sutanto said the CTS experts were involved only in drafting the Jakarta Macro Transportation Plan, which recommends, among other things, the opening of 14 busway corridors in the city, including the Blok M-Kota corridor.
But the experts did not recommend the already crowded Blok M-Kota route as the first to operate as it would only worsen traffic congestion along the route, he added.
The original recommendation was the opening of the corridor from Pulo Gadung in East Jakarta to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta, passing through Jl. Pemuda, Jl. Pramuka, Jl. Diponegoro and Jl. Imam Bonjol.
Other feasible corridors are:
- Rawa Buaya-Grogol-Harmoni;
- Kampung Melayu-Ancol;
- Pasar Minggu-Manggarai;
- Kampung Rambutan-Kampung Melayu;
- Tomang-Harmoni-Pasar Baru;
- Lebak Bulus-Kebayoran Lama
- and Senayan-Pejompongan routes.
According to Sutanto, congestion charges would be more feasible.
"It would be better to enforce charges along the corridor as it would not totally close the option for people who really need to pass the road," he said.
He stressed that, conceptually, the busway was good as it could become a starting point to improve facilities for public transportation users who were so far being ignored by the government.
he added.
""Unfortunately, the implementation of a good concept has sparked controversy only because of its poor implementation,"" he added.
Rabu, 17 Desember 2003
Busway going nowhere
We can already envisage what the traffic will be like once the busway project is up and running. The congestion starts at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle and ""Hot Plate Harry"" traffic circle in Kebayoran, South Jakarta.
Even when there are no special buses on the roads! What will happen when passengers start going backwards and forwards across the street because there are no stairs or they are too lazy to use them?
And then, there is the extended 3-in-1 restriction from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. from Monday to Friday. I am a female senior citizen and always drive alone. I am too scared to hire two ""jockeys"" to make up three people in my car and, besides, I need my money for other things than paying such jockeys. This is really too much. So I cannot go to Kebayoran or Glodok downtown from Monday to Friday? Or I have to be home ""in the stable"" by 4 p.m.? And after that I cannot go out again to see a doctor, do errands, or visit friends in Kebayoran or Kota or meet at a restaurant there? (I live in Grogol, West Jakarta).
What about all the offices/banks/restaurants/hotels/shops on Jl. Thamrin, Jl. Sudirman and Kota and their visitors, bosses and employees who drive alone? They will have to leave the office at 3:30 p.m. or earlier, to run the gauntlet in time, or be stuck there until 8 p.m.
And then think of the plight of servants sent to pick up their bosses from the office. Three employees (two servants and the driver) will be needed to fetch the boss. Just imagine the discomfort of the servant and the boss sitting together in the back -- only one of the servants can sit in the front next to the driver. Not to mention the problems faced by housewives, who have to let their servants go for between two and four hours at the time when dinner has to be prepared and they need the servants.
Only a man could think up such a useless scheme, inconveniencing the whole city for the profit of a few. I am furious. But how can we stop this nonsense?
SUHARTO Jakarta
Selasa, 09 Desember 2003
Bigger funds proposed for busway
The city administration has proposed a larger allocation for the busway project from Rp 120.7 billion (US$14.20 million) to Rp 240.7 billion in the draft of the 2004 city budget, which was submitted to the City Council on Monday.
The total draft budget amounts to Rp 12.16 trillion, a 10.68 percent increase from this year's Rp 11.563 trillion.
City Hall spokesman Muhayat said the additional Rp 120 billion allocation would be used to purchase 50 more buses -- bringing the total fleet to 106 buses -- and build an underpass for the busway's vehicles to turn around in Kota, West Jakarta, and build and equip a repair shop for the buses in Pinang Rante, East Jakarta.
Transportation analysts have criticized the administration on the busway project, which adopts a similar transportation system to that in Bogota, Colombia, saying that it would cause severe traffic jams along the busy main thoroughfares of Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Thamrin where offices are located. The busway occupies one of the three lanes in the fast lane on each side of the roads.
The analysts also doubt that many private car owners will make use of the buses to reach their offices once it is implemented because the busway has yet to be supported by feeder services connecting residential areas to busway shelters and terminals.
Several delays in the project have also been criticized.
The busway, initiated in 2001, was scheduled to be launched in February 2002. It was delayed to December 2002, and then further postponed for another year until finally the administration decided to launch it early next year.
However, Governor Sutiyoso said that people criticized the busway project because it was new for Jakartans.
He is optimistic that people will finally accept the project because it accommodates the interests of commuters.
""The administration in Bogota also received such criticism, but now more corridors are demanded by Colombians as the busway is successful there,"" he said.
The administration has spent Rp 120.7 billion on 56 buses, constructing lane dividers, passenger bridges and bus shelters.
The 56 buses, to be operated in January on the Blok M in South Jakarta to Kota route, are being assembled by an assembling company in Magelang, Central Java.
With the implementation of the busway, other bus operators playing the Blok M-Kota route have been given options by the administration to either join a consortium with the busway, operate as feeders or stay clear of the routes in question altogether. Buses plying the same route will be prohibited from following a parallel route to the busway's.
The busway and the East Flood Canal project are two significant infrastructure projects listed in the city budget. Expenses for both projects reach Rp 1.292 trillion.
The top priority of next year's budget is education and health with a proposed allotment of 29.69 percent of the total budget, or Rp 3.61 trillion. The figure is higher than this year's budget of Rp 2.88 trillion.
Jumat, 11 April 2003
Jakarta Busway Project Infeasible
The busway project from Blok M in South Jakarta to Kota in Central Jakarta is financially infeasible as it only serves 12.9 kilometers of road, a transportation expert says.
Lloyd Wright of the Bogota-based Institute for Transportation and Development Policy said the first stage of a similar project in Bogota, whose territory smaller than Jakarta, covered 40 kilometers of roads.
""Jakarta is larger than Bogota, therefore its first busway project should cover more road,"" Wright told councillors and city administration officials on Wednesday.
Wright did not elaborate on the calculation of the project costs, but stressed the need for the city administration to extend the road covered by the bus rapid transit project before launching it.
He recommended the development of another busway running east to west. He also stressed the need to develop feeder services.
""Without adequate feeder services, passengers may not move from the old bus routes.""
Wright also stressed the need to fully integrate the project with other transportation systems in order to resolve transportation problems in the city.
The Jakarta city administration has begun developing the bus rapid transit, known as the busway project since last year as part of the effort to resolve the city transportation problem.
But the project has sparked criticism from transportation experts who believe it will fail. Some even say it will worsen traffic congestion in several areas.
The project was expected to be launched late last year but was delayed due to poor planning. Trials without passengers have been underway since early this year.
The city administration allocated Rp 50.8 billion for the project last year but costs have blown out to Rp 90.25 billion.
To save public funds, Wright advised the administration to only use state funds to finance infrastructure and private money to buy buses.
Wright said there were international financial institutions who could be invited to help finance the project, but the city administration should ensure that the project was the best design.
He also stressed the need for a strong vision from senior city officials to create a good transportation system.
City administration spokesman Muhayat said Governor Sutiyoso would visit a number of cities in Latin America this month to hold a comparative study on the bus systems. The cities would include Bogota, Curittiba in Brazil, and Mexico City in Mexico.
He would leave the city on April 26 and returned on May 2.
Lloyd Wright of the Bogota-based Institute for Transportation and Development Policy said the first stage of a similar project in Bogota, whose territory smaller than Jakarta, covered 40 kilometers of roads.
""Jakarta is larger than Bogota, therefore its first busway project should cover more road,"" Wright told councillors and city administration officials on Wednesday.
Wright did not elaborate on the calculation of the project costs, but stressed the need for the city administration to extend the road covered by the bus rapid transit project before launching it.
He recommended the development of another busway running east to west. He also stressed the need to develop feeder services.
""Without adequate feeder services, passengers may not move from the old bus routes.""
Wright also stressed the need to fully integrate the project with other transportation systems in order to resolve transportation problems in the city.
The Jakarta city administration has begun developing the bus rapid transit, known as the busway project since last year as part of the effort to resolve the city transportation problem.
But the project has sparked criticism from transportation experts who believe it will fail. Some even say it will worsen traffic congestion in several areas.
The project was expected to be launched late last year but was delayed due to poor planning. Trials without passengers have been underway since early this year.
The city administration allocated Rp 50.8 billion for the project last year but costs have blown out to Rp 90.25 billion.
To save public funds, Wright advised the administration to only use state funds to finance infrastructure and private money to buy buses.
Wright said there were international financial institutions who could be invited to help finance the project, but the city administration should ensure that the project was the best design.
He also stressed the need for a strong vision from senior city officials to create a good transportation system.
City administration spokesman Muhayat said Governor Sutiyoso would visit a number of cities in Latin America this month to hold a comparative study on the bus systems. The cities would include Bogota, Curittiba in Brazil, and Mexico City in Mexico.
He would leave the city on April 26 and returned on May 2.
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