Multa Fidrus, Banten – Residents of a Bintaro housing complex have threatened to ram road blockades developer PT Jaya Real Property plans to use to close access from Pondok Aren to Ciputat.
H. Mait, speaking on behalf of the residents, said that if the developer went ahead with the plan it would violate an agreement it made with locals on Nov. 17.
There is no reason for the developer to close direct road access from Pondok Aren to Ciputat that can more easily be reached through the complex," he said.
He added that the developer would have to consult with the Tangerang regency transportation agency, which has authority over local road access.
As a long-time resident of the complex, Mait said that the road had been present long before the developer build the housing estate. He added that residents of Pondok Aren and Ciputat had emotional and cultural ties to the road.
"Therefore, if the developer blocks our access by building a separators, we will not hesitate to destroy the blockade," he said.
Hundreds of Pondok Aren and Ciputat residents were angered by a road separator placed by the housing developer last month, which they moved to the roadside in protest.
The local district administrations called in a negotiator to meet with representatives of the residents and the developer to discuss the matter.
The residents said it took them longer to travel between Pondok Aren and Ciputat as they were now forced to drive around to the complex's main access road, Jl. Bintaro Utama.
Mait said the developer could not act without considering the needs of people living in the area around the housing complex.
Separately, M. Dody Setiawan, a local activist, said that instead of building a separator to block direct access at the intersections and avoid traffic jams, the developer could simply reactivate the traffic lights there.
"A good solution to coping with the traffic jams that happen during rush hours at the intersections is that Bintaro Jaya could build traffic lights," he said.
A marketing representative of the developer said on Monday afternoon that he could not comment on the situation.