Jakarta Congestion Is Difficult To Overcome If The Supporting Areas Don't Immediately Fix Public Transportation

The Jabodebek Integrated Highway (LRT) has started operating for the public since Monday (28/8/2023). (Between)

The availability of public transportation in Jakarta and its surroundings is entering a new chapter. The Jabodebek Integrated Highway (LRT) has started operating since Monday (28/8/2023) after being inaugurated by the President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo. Jokowi also invited the public to use the LRT which has spent a budget of IDR 32.6 trillion to help unravel congestion.

"Today, Alhamdulillah, the LRT is also ready to operate from Harjamukti (station) in Cibubur and from Bekasi to Jakarta, 41.2 kilometers long and spend a budget of IDR 32.6 trillion," said Jokowi when inaugurating the Jabodebek LRT at Cawang Station, East Jakarta, last August 28.

The emergence of the LRT is expected to help unravel congestion in DKI Jakarta and its surroundings which are getting worse day by day. In addition, the LRT is also considered to be able to help reduce the crazy air pollution for the past month or so.

The presence of this driverless train is said to be a solution to overcome traffic congestion in Jakarta. The Minister of Transportation (Menhub) Budi Karya Sumadi targets at least 140 thousand people to use the Jabodebek LRT to unravel congestion in Jakarta.

"We hope that at least 140 thousand people will move to LRT transportation," Budi said on July 12.

But Djoko Setijowarno, Academician of the Unika Civil Engineering Study Program Soegijapranata Semarang and Deputy Chair of the Regional Empowerment and Strengthening Division of the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI) Center, have different views. According to Djoko, LRT does not necessarily overcome Jakarta congestion because buffer cities, such as Bogor, Tangerang, Bekasi, and Depok, are not widely used to fix public transportation.

In fact, in this area, many thousands of housing are still under touch with public transportation services. The policy of building a housing company complete with a feeder public transportation facility service is no longer valid, so people who buy houses in suburban areas of Jakarta must think about buying private vehicles in order to accelerate mobility.

"Now many people cannot afford to buy houses in Jakarta because the price is expensive, so they switch to suburban areas such as Tangerang, Bogor, Depok, Bekasi. However, in these areas the mass transportation is inadequate, thus encouraging them to buy private vehicles for mobility," Djoko explained to VOI.

In addition, the government's policy of providing incentives for electric vehicles is not on target. On the one hand, electric vehicles can help reduce pollution, but on the other hand, they have the potential to increase traffic congestion.

"In foreign countries that have an incentive policy or a subsidy for electric vehicles for private vehicles, after the conditions of transportation services are generally also good. It is different in Indonesia, which is currently experiencing a public transportation crisis. With this incentive policy, it will add another new problem, namely traffic congestion," Djoko added.

Djoko also highlighted the uneven procurement of public transportation in the country. According to him, there are still many other areas that do not have adequate public transportation, and there is even no such thing. According to him, efforts to equalize public transportation in the country have been hit by regulations.

The regulation contains Law Number 23 2014 concerning Regional Governments. The law states that those included in basic government services include education, health, public work and spatial planning, public housing and residential areas, peace, public order and public protection, and social.

"In the law, transportation is not included in basic needs services. So that the budget for transportation is minimal, compared to education and health. General transportation is not taken care of so that it disappears in many regions in Indonesia," said Djoko.

So there are still many problems that need to be resolved to solve congestion problems and the use of public transportation in metropolitan cities such as Jakarta. Synergy with the regional government that buffers the capital city must be declared immediately, not just a discourse.