Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo has dismissed criticism directed at his decision to approve the construction of six new toll roads in the capital. Critics said the decision would only benefit car owners and manufacturers, but Joko countered that the decision was actually “pro-people.” “I agreed because [the toll roads] can be used by average people,” Joko explained. “There will be mass and public transport going through the six toll roads, which means poor people can use it.”
Joko gave the green light for the controversial project on Wednesday, saying the central government promised that the toll roads “can also be used for public transportation, not just personal vehicles.” Some Jakartans were quick to criticize the decision, saying Joko had broken his own campaign promise to veto construction carried out and financed by the Public Works Ministry and initially proposed by the administration of former Governor Fauzi Bowo. Experts also lamented Joko’s decision to back the construction.
Nirwono Joga, an urban planning expert from Jakarta’s Trisakti University, said the new toll roads would only increase the use of private vehicles and worsen the capital’s notorious traffic problems “There is no strong guarantee that the construction of the six toll roads will alleviate Jakarta’s traffic jams,” he said. “The construction of these toll roads will only create new traffic congestion spots.” Ofyar Z. Tamin, from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) in West Java, earlier said the central and city governments must prioritize bolstering public transportation over the building of more roads.
“The construction of six toll roads must be rejected for the public interest,” he said on Thursday, adding that the roads would encourage more people to use cars. Ofyar said the toll roads would also increase subsidized fuel usage — a huge burden on the annual state budget — as more people switched to cars. “The government should be more inclined to mass transportation,” he added. “Jakartans have suffered too long from worsening traffic. The only way to end that is by building an integrated mass transportation system.” But Joko remained adamant that Jakarta needed the new roads, which will be accessible to TransJakarta buses as well as regular ones.
The governor said he would revoke his approval if the Public Works Ministry were to limit access to the new roads to private cars only. “Don’t comment on this so soon,” he said. “I am willing to listen to the opinions of the experts, including [ordinary people] who criticized [Joko] on Twitter.” Construction for the new roads will be divided into four stages and is estimated to be completed in 2022, costing taxpayers Rp 40 trillion ($4.1 billion). The first stage is expected to begin this year with a 17.88-kilometer elevated toll road linking Semanan in West Jakarta to Sunter, North Jakarta; and another 11-kilometer stretch linking Sunter to Bekasi, just east of Jakarta.
The second stage will involve an 11.38-kilometer road linking Duri Pulo, West Jakarta, and Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta, and a 9.5-kilometer road spanning from Kampung Melayu to Kemayoran, Central Jakarta. The third phase is an 8.27-kilometer road from Ulujami, South Jakarta, to Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta.
source : the jakarta globe
source : the jakarta globe
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