Andreas D. Arditya, Jakarta – Transportation experts and activists have attacked Jakarta Governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's plan to construct six new elevated inner-city toll roads across the capital.
Yoga Adiwinarto, director of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) Indonesia, regretted the governor's decision.
"Toll roads are not what Jakarta needs. The city needs to prioritize on building and improving its mass transportation system," Yoga told reporters at City Hall after meeting with Deputy Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama.
Yoga said that both the governor and his deputy were not giving the impression that they have a strong vision to improve the city. "If they want to make Jakarta like international cities in Europe, then they need to focus on mass transportation," he said.
"During his run for the gubernatorial post, Jokowi was against the toll road plan. In a meeting with Jakarta Transportation Council [DTKJ], he reaffirmed his position. He is indecisive," Tulus Abadi, a member of the DTKJ, said.
Experts have vocalized their opposition to the elevated toll-road plan citing that it would have no positive effect on eradicating the city's traffic problems.
The DTKJ warned that the toll road would increase the use of private vehicles rather than public transportation, the plan would also have a number of adverse effects, including deteriorating spatial management, increased pollution and damage to the environment and public health.
On Wednesday, Jokowi announced that he had finally agreed to the plan after receiving a "thorough explanation" from the Public Works Minister Djoko Kirmanto.
According to the governor, the capital was in dire need of new roads to support public transportation and as such, has given the green light to the toll-road project. Jokowi said that improvement in public transportation alone would not be sufficient to tackle the crippling traffic congestion in the city.
"So there is no single solution [to the traffic problems]. We have to do both [improve public transportation and add new roads]," he said after meeting with the minister.
The governor said that he had agreed to the project on the condition that the new roads not only accommodated private vehicles but also public transportation, such as the Transjakarta Bus Rapid Transit system and public minibuses.
The elevated toll road project, estimated to cost around Rp 42 trillion (US$4.3 billion), is expected to begin next year under the auspices of PT Jakarta Tollroad Development (JTD).
JTD is a consortium of construction firms: PT Hutama Karya, PT Pembangunan Perumahan, PT Wijaya Karya, PT Adhi Karya and PT Citra Marga Nusaphala Persada. The 67-kilometer-long inner-city toll road network will connect all five of Jakarta's municipalities.