Rp. 800 Million Bicycle Monument, Cyclist Community: Government Is Better To Fix The Bike Path

Cyclists in Jakarta (Irfan Meidianto/VOI)

JAKARTA - The Provincial Government of DKI Jakarta will build a bicycle monument on Sudirman Street. Said Deputy Governor Riza Patria, a monument costing Rp. 800 million was built to show Jakarta's partiality to cyclists. Riza's statement was made public.

So part of the construction of a permanent bike path, the bicycle monument is expected to be the motivation for the expansion of bicycle culture. Bicycles are expected to be a mode of transportation, not just recreation or sports.

In addition, Riza called the bicycle monument also an opportunity for art actors to create. "This shows our impartiality towards road users, this is a good thing. And we want to beautify the Capital," Riza said, at City Hall, Thursday, April 9.

The discourse on the construction of the monument was criticized by many. One of them, former Democratic Party politician Ferdinand Hutahaean.

Ferdinand tweeted: 'This program is not useful. It has no philosophical foundation'.

Ferdinand argued that the Provincial Government of DKI Jakarta should build a monument related to the culture or history of Jakarta, "not like this, it is not useful."

A bicycle community from Surabaya also commented. Through @subcyclist accounts, they argue that the partiality towards the cyclists cannot be seen by building symbols.

The Provincial Government of DKI Jakarta is better to tighten the construction of the protected bike path than to build symbols. "The bicycle monument is not a proof of partiality. It's just proof the budget has been spent on futility," they wrote.

"With Rp. 800 million you can add more permanent-protected bike lanes optimally which is actually the form of "PARTIALITY." Ups. Forgot, I am a residence of Tambaksari (not Jakarta, ed)."

Riza himself had opened the source of the budget for the construction of bicycle monuments not to be taken from local government coffers but supported by the private sector. "The budget is from the private sector. From a third party."

The monument was built in the form of bicycle tires. According to Riza, the construction of the monument was included in the project of eleven permanent bike lanes to be built in the same area. The construction of monuments and bike lanes was worth Rp. 28 billion.