DKI Provincial Government Ensures To Keep Targeting 500 Kilometers Of Bicycle Paths Until 2026

Illustration of bicycle lanes in DKI Jakarta (ANTARA)

Head of the DKI Jakarta Transportation Agency, Syafrin Liputo, ensured that the DKI Provincial Government will continue to set a bicycle lane construction target of up to 500 kilometers by 2026. This is in response to the decision of Bike to Work (B2W) Indonesia which revoked the Jakarta award as a provincial-level bicycle-friendly city throughout Indonesia. "When we draw up a bicycle lane plan, all NGOs are involved including B2W, ITDP, all of them. It is determined that 2026 is 500 kilometers. Of course, the target until 2026 is being pursued," said Syafrin at DKI Jakarta City Hall, Thursday, November 9. In the Jakarta Regional Development Plan (RPD) 2023-2026, Syafrin stated that his party has set a target for adding bicycle lanes per year. To date, the bicycle lanes that have been built are 314 kilometers long. This has exceeded the annual target of which by 2024 is targeted to build 298 kilometers. That is why, Syafrin admitted that the DKI Provincial Government did not budget for the addition of the bicycle lane budget in the 2024 APBD. "It has exceeded the set target. So, what the transportation service does is to maintain the bicycle lane. It is more about how to maintain the path consistency bicycle lane by paying attention to supporting infrastructure," said Syafrin. For information, the Jakarta bicycle-friendly city award was given by B2W to former DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan in 2021. The revocation of this award was carried out as an expression of disappointment with the Acting Governor of DKI Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono. B2W gave the Jakarta bicycle-friendly city award in the Anies era because B2W considered that at that time Jakarta was the most massive city to build bicycle lanes. However, for one year Heru Budi served as Acting Governor of DKI, B2W assessed that the DKI Provincial Government showed very contrary to the efforts made during Anies' leadership. This, according to B2W, is reflected in the abolition of the budget for the addition of bicycle lanes in the 2023 APBD changes, then the demolition of the bicycle lane at Santa's red light, South Jakarta. Then, it is also based on the dismantling of stick cones or bicycle lane barriers on 13 roads, as well as the budget for additional bicycle lanes which 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 - to maintain the award, while the actual condition, at this time, is far from what is considered good when the award is awarded," wrote the B2W_Indonesia Instagram account, Tuesday, November 7.