29 Jul
The Art Of Governing
Jakarta's City Governor, Fuazi Bowo is full of excuses when it comes to solving the city's woes and his most recent utterances concern the TransJakarta Busway.
I've always thought that having special lanes for buses across town is a good idea. After all, they work in cities such as Singapore, and elsewhere. However, that the network here isn't operated in tandem with all the other bus services and neither does it offer a connection with local trains, except at Kota station in North Jakarta. Furthermore, I fail to see why the special lanes are generally alongside the median of the road and not on the left alongside the curb where other buses pick up passengers.
I live close to Koridor 10 which is meant to connect Tanjung Priok in North Jakarta and Cililitan in East Jakarta. After two or so years, it is showing signs of wear and tear, yet not from buses as the route hasn't been officially opened. There are also no buses trundling along Koridor 9 connecting Pluit in North Jakarta and Pinang Ranti in East Jakarta.
The excuse given on Monday was that this was all the fault of his predecessor, Gov. Sutiyoso, whose administration (which Fuzzy Bodoh was part of) failed to put in operational contracts when the busway was launched in 2004.
Other problems exist: there is a lack of guidelines for the busway operators to deliver a minimum standard of service, a ceiling for a per kilometer tariff that the administration should pay to operators and a need for a standard ticketing system for the busway.
Bearing in mind that the initial planning took a couple of years, we are justified in asking why it's taken 8 years to find solutions. Still, now we know why two other Koridors, 11, which is intended to connect Kampung Melayu and Pulo Gebang in East Jakarta, and 12, connecting Pluit and Tanjung Priok in North Jakarta, won't be open this year. Potential passengers will have to wait until 2012 – at least.
Some relevant facts (not included in the new edition of Culture Shock! Jakarta)
- 1,700 people were killed on Jakarta's roads in 2009
- 70% were motorcyclists, an average of 3.25 per day
- 68,606 new cars were registered in Jakarta in the first half of last year.
- 89,317 new cars were registered in Jakarta in the first half of this year.
- The average speed of motorized vehicles is 10-15 kilometers per hour.
And now for the good news.
The central government is finalizing the Transjabodetabek mass transportation concept which would integrate Jakarta’s satellite cities of Bogor, Depok and Bekasi in West Java, and Tangerang in Banten.
I paused to blink and mutter under my breath when I read that, but hey, it's the central government rather than City Hall which has come up with the scheme, so it might, just might, happen.
You can be sure that our current incompetent governor won't be involved. Besides, as usual, he's got some personal matters to attend to.
His private art collection is to be displayed on July 31st-August 1st at the Indonesian Art Fair being held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.
Anyone who can't make it, is welcome to come and see my etchings here at Jakartass Towers. Please email me first and attach a photo.
A familiar tale of frustration with Jakarta's traffic which then extols the virtues of a train trip to Yogya.
Hi J
Its always amazes me, given the number of traffic deaths per year, that the media and the government does not do more to encourage safe driving. Look at the recent hullabaloo over gas canisters with 80 deaths over the entire country. Makes me wonder what the national death rate is from traffic accidents, 99% of which are totally prevebntable.
” * 1,700 people were killed on Jakarta’s roads in 2009
* 70% were motorcyclists, an average of 3.25 per day
* 68,606 new cars were registered in Jakarta in the first half of last year.
* 89,317 new cars were registered in Jakarta in the first half of this year.
* The average speed of motorized vehicles is 10-15 kilometers per hour.”
what is the source of these statistics?