The Jakarta Bike Friendly Award Was Revoked, The Heru Budi Era Bike Line Was Claimed To Be More

Illustration of bicycle lanes in DKI Jakarta (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Head of the DKI Jakarta Transportation Agency, Syafrin Liputo, responded to the decision of Bike to Work (B2W) Indonesia which lifted the Jakarta award as a provincial-level bicycle-friendly city throughout Indonesia. This award was given to former DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan in 2021. The revocation of this award was carried out as an expression of disappointment to the Governor of DKI Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono. However, Syafrin emphasized that his party would continue to run the bicycle lane addition program on Heru Budi's leadership in Jakarta. "The commitment to support for the provision of bicycle lanes remains massively continued by the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government. In 2023, support was carried out on the provision of bicycle lanes by carrying out development and maintenance of bicycle lanes," said Syafrin in his statement, November 9. Syafrin explained, the construction of bicycle lanes in 2023 was built along 13.11 kilometers located in 3 regions covering the Blok M, Barito, and Tebet areas. The construction of bicycle lanes as first mile and last mile, he continued, has reached the service of mass transport routes and transportation nodes, namely the Transjakarta bus stop, MRT Jakarta station, Jabodebek LRT station, KRL station, and Bus Terminal. "With the construction of the new bicycle lane, the total bicycle lane network that has been built by the DKI Jakarta Provincial Transportation Service from 2012 to 2023 for 314.196 kilometers," he said. In addition, Syafrin said that the DKI Provin still carried out road markings and traffic signs for bicycle lanes along 28 kilometers on Jalan MH. Thamrin, Jalan Jenderal Sudirman, Jalan Sysingamaraja, Jalan Pang Polim, Jalan Fatmawati Raya Hospital, Jalan Tomang Raya, and Jalan Imam Bonjol. The bicycle-friendly city that was obtained in the Anies era because B2W considered that Jakarta was the most massive city. During one year Heru Budi served as the Governor of DKI, B2W assessed that the DKI Provin Government showed very contrary to the steps taken during the leadership of Anies.

Then, it is also based on the dismantling of stick cones or bicycle lane barriers on 13 roads, as well as the budget for adding bicycle lanes that are not budgeted again in the 2024 APBD draft. "We are of the view that it is not good - it will only be a joke that is not funny - maintaining the award, while the actual condition, at this time, is very far from what is considered good when the award is given," wrote the B2W_Indonesia Instagram account, Tuesday, November 7.