Finding Out The Conditions Of Jakarta Sidewalks That Can Be Occupied By Street Vendors

An environmental trader crosses a sidewalk in Jakarta (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan is increasingly steadfast in legalizing street vendors (PKL) at a number of designated sidewalk points. There is a possibility that the sidewalks that will be legalized for street vendors will not only be on Jalan Sudirman-MH Thamrin.

Head of the DKI Jakarta Highways Agency, Hari Nugroho, said that currently the Governor's Regulation regarding the placement of street vendors on DKI's sidewalks is being discussed. In the Pergub, there will be a number of conditions that govern the possibility of street vendors being able to sell on the sidewalk.

"Of course, we can accommodate sidewalks that are more than 5 meters wide. There, it is possible for street vendors to trade," Hari said when contacted, Friday, January 17.

Then, the width of the PKL stalls should not exceed the pedestrian paths. Street vendors are also prohibited from taking stalls across the guide tile line for people with disabilities who are yellow.

"Street vendors that interfere with pedestrian accessibility will be put in order. So, there are rules for the game," he said.

In determining the criteria for street vendors who are allowed to trade on the sidewalk, the DKI Provincial Government uses PUPR Ministerial Regulation No. 3/2014 on Guidelines for Planning the Provision and Utilization of Infrastructure and Pedestrian Networks in Urban Areas.

In Article 13 Paragraph (2) of the PUPR Regulation, the use of pedestrian network infrastructure is only permitted for the use of social and ecological functions in the form of cycling activities, social interactions, formal small business activities, exhibition activities in open spaces, green lanes, and pedestrian facilities.

Based on the PUPR Ministerial Regulation, the Provincial Government regulates that street vendors, who later get allotted stalls, are not allowed to trade permanently. The merchandise must be transferred. They are also limited in selling time, not all day.

"The street vendors who are allowed are environmentally friendly. They are not allowed to burn, do not wash and wash. For example, the take away system, maybe there is coffee or tea, cake or so on," said Hari.

Illustration of a sidewalk where street vendors sell (Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

For information, the plan to place street vendors on the sidewalks has been put forward by DKI Governor Anies Baswedan since several months ago. Anies has his own concept about the function of sidewalks in Jakarta.

For the former Minister of Education and Culture, sidewalks must be multifunctional in addition to pedestrians. The sidewalk should also be a convenient location for street vendors to sell.

"There is such a thing as sidewalk, or sidewalks can be multifunctional, so we want it to be multifunctional later, but each place is different, some are added with various other functions, some cannot," said Anies, Thursday, August 29, 2019.

Anies, who admits that he is a regular abroad worker, has found many similar things in cities in developed countries. There, it is common to use the sidewalk for many activities, such as artistic, cultural, commercial activities, and so on.

"For example, on the sidewalk near the HI roundabout. Near the FX there are music activities. Now, I mean, they can be used a lot," he said.

However, Anies explained that the concept could not hit evenly. Moreover, the width of the sidewalks in DKI varies. "There are roads with a width of more than 30 meters, some are only 20, some are only 8 meters. Therefore, it is not possible to use a template for only one approach for all roads," said Anies.

Hence, the DKI Provincial Government is still reviewing the follow-up to curb street vendors from the sidewalks. Starting from the process of finalizing the roadmap preparation, as well as the certification of vendors who will plan to make street food to accommodate street vendors.

"That is where the provincial government functions. The provincial government is not only the enforcer of the law, we are also regulators and make rules based on the principles of justice," he added.