Anies' Subordinates Denies Pampering Road Bike Cyclists When They Will Provide Special Lanes

Head of the DKI Jakarta Transportation Agency, Syafrin Liputo (Photo: Diah Ayuwardhani/VOI)

JAKARTA - The DKI Provincial Government plans to provide special lanes for road bike cyclists on Jalan Jenderal Sudirman to MH Thamrin. Many think that the Governor of DKI Anies Baswedan has too privileged road bike users.

However, this was denied by the Head of the DKI Transportation Agency, Syafrin Liputo. Anies's subordinates think that the DKI Provincial Government does not show favoritism to racing cyclists.

"No one spoils anyone. We, the DKI Provincial Government, still prioritize the safety of its citizens," said Syafrin to reporters, Thursday, June 3.

Syafrin explained that the reason his party gave a special lane was because a number of road bike cyclists used the rightmost lane on the highway. They need a quieter track because they are traveling at high speed.

"We know in the activities of these road bike activists, whether every Saturday and Sunday they use the traffic lane with the rightmost lane. So, from the safety aspect, this is neglected," explained Syafrin.

"For that, the government must think about how their track is safe. So, for other users who usually use road bikes, the safety and comfort aspects are guaranteed," he continued.

Later, the racing cyclists will get a special lane every Monday to Friday morning, starting at 05.30 WIB to 06.30 WIB.

Syafrin explained the reason why his party opened the road bike lane on weekday mornings. According to him, the traffic volume at 05.00 to 06.30 WIB in Sudirman-Thamrin is still not too dense.

"Sudirman-Thamrin was given space because the activity for bicycles as a means of mobility in the morning at dawn is relatively lacking. Then, traffic from 5.00 to 6.30 WIB is still relatively low," said Syafrin.

This plan has drawn criticism from a number of parties. One of them, Member of the DKI DPRD from the PDIP Faction, Gilbert Simanjuntak. According to Gilbert, this plan is an immeasurable policy.

"This is an immeasurable policy issue by the Governor. All are victims and have no impact on the wider community during this pandemic," said Gilbert.

Transportation observer from the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI), Djoko Setijowarno also considers the red carpet for road bikes on weekday mornings to be unnecessary.

Moreover, according to him, the DKI Provincial Government has facilitated the bicycle race track on the Kampung Melayu-Tanah Abang Nontol Flyover on Saturday-Sunday at 05.00-08.00 WIB.

"It should not be done, because there is also a special bicycle lane. It is enough on holidays and weekends, namely Saturday and Sunday (at JLNT Kampung Melayu)," said Djoko.

According to Djoko, the safety and comfort of other road users must also be considered. Moreover, said Djoko, the Velodrome Rawamangun stadium also has bicycle lanes that can be used freely.

Meanwhile, the initial purpose of facilitating cyclists on Jalan Sudirman-Thamrin was as a means of transportation, not exercise. Thus, a permanent bicycle path was created.