19.11.03

Janji sejak awal 2002

"Busway", Kado Tahun Baru buat Warga Jakarta?

KOMPAS — HARI-hari terakhir ini, ada kesibukan baru di sepanjang Jalan Jenderal Sudirman-Thamrin- Majapahit-Gajah Mada dan Hayam Wuruk. Sejumlah pekerjaan tampaknya terus dikebut. Ada pembangunan halte di jalur pemisah dengan mengorbankan pohon-pohon peneduh, ada pembangunan tangga penyeberangan orang yang ternyata harus membobok beton tangga penyeberangan yang sudah ada, dan juga ada pembangunan separator (pemisah) antara jalur bus khusus itu dengan jalur kendaraan lainnya. Jalanan pun semakin macet.

BERBICARA mengenai pembangunan Jakarta, dalam dua tahun terakhir rasanya kurang lengkap tanpa menyinggung proyek busway. Itu karena masyarakat Ibu Kota sudah terlalu jenuh dengan kemacetan, sementara Pemerintah Provinsi DKI dan jajaran instansi terkait di bawahnya hanya terus mengumbar janji akan memperbaiki sistem angkutan umum dan pola transportasi Jakarta.

Masih ingat dengan busway? Hampir dua tahun lalu, tepatnya awal Januari 2002, Pemprov DKI Jakarta kembali berencana membangun proyek serupa jalur khusus bus dengan jalur Blok M (Jakarta Selatan)-Kota (Jakarta) yang pernah gagal sepuluh tahun lalu.

Sampai hampir memasuki pengujung tahun 2003, pertengahan November, mereka yang melintasi sepanjang 12,9 kilometer tersebut pasti membicarakan busway. Itu lantaran di jalur itu kini sedang digarap para pekerja. Mereka mengerjakan shelter dan sarana penunjang jalur khusus bus, seperti jembatan penyeberangan orang (JPO) serta penambahan tangga JPO (denah terlampir).

Lihat saja. Taman di jalur tengah sepanjang mulai Jalan Panglima Polim-Jalan Sisingamangaraja (Jakarta Selatan) hingga ke Bundaran Air Mancur Pemuda, Senayan (Jakarta Pusat) tampak "berantakan" akibat bongkaran tanah bagian dari pekerjaan pembangunan sarana dan prasarana busway.

Para pekerja di tempat itu mengatakan, ada pelebaran jalan sehingga lebar taman di median jalan mulai dikurangi satu meter dari lebar aslinya. Selanjutnya, sisi kiri dan kanan jalan sepanjang sekitar 1,5 kilometer itu juga dikurangi masing-masing selebar 70 sentimeter.

Tengok juga, beberapa bagian pada taman jalur tengah di Jalan Sudirman hingga Jalan Thamrin tampak tertutup seng. Sebagian besar tanpa ditutup seng polos, hanya satu lokasi dengan seng yang dihiasi gambar. Seng itu menandakan adanya proyek pembangunan unsur penunjang busway.

Tampak sejumlah pohon yang berfungsi sebagai peneduh berdiameter lebih dari 40 sentimeter terancam ditebang. Sementara sebagian lagi berdiameter kurang dari 40 sentimeter sudah tak berbekas lagi tertutup oleh galian untuk fondasi.

Lihat pula, di sekitar Harmoni, Gajah Mada Plaza, Plaza Hayam Wuruk, Hotel Mercure dan di depan Raja Mas hingga Stasiun Kota. Tampak seng- seng menutup sebagian pemandangan taman dan kali.

Sepanjang jalur Panglima Polim-Sudirman hingga Kota, beberapa lokasi shelter sudah tertancap besi baja sebagai fondasi halte dengan sistem knock down, seperti di Pintu I Senayan, Kantor Kepolisian Daerah Metro Jaya, depan Gedung Bank Mandiri, sudah mulai ditancap tiang. Sementara itu, depan Gedung Da Vinchi, Bank Danamon, dan Hotel Mercure, terpancang tiang fondasi yang sudah mulai dilengkapi dengan tangga terbuat dari baja dan sedikit landai. Belum lagi jembatan penyeberangan yang menjadi bagian proyek tersebut dibobok.

Kepala Dinas Perhubungan DKI Jakarta Rustam Effendy mengatakan, sarana penunjang yang dibangun itu meliputi jembatan penyeberangan orang, penambahan tangga penyeberangan, dan shelter atau halte.

JPO yang telah dibangun akan dirancang kembali agar calon penumpang dapat menuju halte yang terdapat di median jalan. Tangga dirancang khusus dari baja dengan perbandingan 1:9 (tangga JPO yang ada sekarang ini perbandingan 1:2). Sementara itu, shelter akan dibangun di 19 lokasi JPO dari 21 JPO yang direncanakan awal. Tangganya seperti eskalator di pusat perbelanjaan, namun bedanya tidak dijalankan oleh mesin.

"Selama pekerjaan pembangunan tersebut, konstruksi pada titik di median jalan akan ditutup dengan pagar pengaman. Langkah itu dilakukan demi menjaga keselamatan para pekerja," kata Rustam.

Semuanya demi kelancaran akses bagi publik. Benarkah? Di lapangan berbicara lain. Pembangunan itu justru meninggalkan keruwetan tersendiri. Pembangunan shelter dan pemasangan separator (membatasi jalur khusus busway dengan jalur biasa), misalnya justru menambah kemacetan arus lalu lintas di sepanjang jantung Kota Jakarta tersebut. Di sepanjang jalur ini merupakan jalur yang sangat padat dan setiap hari selalu macet menjadi semakin macet. Bayangkan, dengan tiga jalur saja, Jalan Sudirman, Thamrin, dan menuju ke Kota sudah macet, apalagi hanya dua jalur?

Masalah lain muncul dari proyek membobok jembatan penyeberangan orang. Hal ini jelas mempersulit akses warga yang setiap hari menggunakan jasa konstruksi tersebut. Belum lagi penebangan pohon yang telah mengurangi estetika kota di sepanjang jalur itu.

Inikah yang dinamakan mengurangi kemacetan, mempermudah akses, dan mempertahankan estetika kota?

Soal penebangan pohon, jelas bertentangan dengan program Gubernur DKI Jakarta Sutiyoso yang "Ijo Royo-royo". Artinya mau menghijaukan Jakarta. Ingatkah begitu kebakaran jenggot saat tiga pohon di sekitar kawasan Bank Indonesia ditebang. Untuk kasus ini sampai dibawa ke pengadilan. Bagaimana juga dengan penebangan sebuah pohon beringin berusia tua di halaman Kantor Kedutaan Besar Inggris? Dan penebangan pohon di taman depan Manggala Wana Bhakti untuk pemasangan iklan? Tapi bagaimana dengan pohon untuk busway?

Asisten Pembangunan DKI Jakarta Irzal Z Djamal menilai bahwa estetika itu hanya masalah rasa masing-masing individu. Rasa estetika sulit mencapai kesepakatan bersama. Ia yakin, pembangunan JPO dan shelter mau tidak mau harus mengorbankan sesuatu. Tidak semua protes harus ditanggapi.

Irzal meyakinkan, tak ada pohon yang ditebang, tetapi sebaliknya dicabut dan dikembangkan di tempat pembibitan Dinas Pertamanan DKI. Jika memungkinkan, pohon-pohon itu akan ditanam kembali di sela- sela shelter.

Kepala Dinas Pertamanan DKI Mauritz Napitupulu menjelaskan, penataan taman itu demi kepentingan proyek yang lebih besar, yakni menciptakan sistem transportasi makro di Jakarta. Kata Napitupulu, apa boleh buat, penebangan pohon- pohon itu memang begitu sulit dihindari.

DALAM konsep terakhir -setelah berulang kali mengalami perubahan hingga terakhir mengadopsi konsep dari Bogota, Kolombia-di Terminal Blok M dan Stasiun Kota akan dibangun halte pemberhentian dengan menggunakan JPO terbuat dari besi baja. Hal sama untuk shelter di depan Hotel Mercure, Plaza Hayam Wuruk, Gajah Mada Plaza, Harmoni, Polda, Wijoyo Center, Ratu Plaza dan Al-Azhar.

Selanjutnya, JPO terbuat dari beton untuk shelter di depan Bank Indonesia, Sarinah, Hotel Westin, Dukuh Atas, Setiabudi, Wisma Dharmala (Da Vinchi dan Danamon), BRI, dan BPN. Sementara di depan Rajamas dan Museum Gajah dibangun pelican (seperti zebra cross).

Rustam menjelaskan, dana untuk busway tidak sepenuhnya dari Anggaran Pendapatan dan Belanja Daerah DKI, tapi sebagian melibatkan sponsor. Berapa nilainya dan siapa yang menjadi sponsor atas proyek di tiga lokasi tersebut, semua informasi tertutup untuk itu. Sebut saja, terminal perhentian di Stasiun Kota, shelter di Sarinah dan BPN melibatkan partisipasi sponsor dari pihak swasta.

Sebagian lagi menggunakan APBD tahun 2003 dan anggaran biaya tambahan yang juga dari kas daerah. Untuk anggaran pembangunan bus khusus terjadi perubahan dari rencana semula sebesar Rp 54 miliar membengkak menjadi Rp 118 miliar.

Dalam APBD 2002 dianggarkan Rp 54 miliar, namun terealisasi hanya Rp 2,4 miliar dari yang diminta Rp 4 miliar. Pada APBD 2003 diusulkan tambahan Rp 86,25 miliar, selanjutnya pada revisi anggaran membengkak menjadi Rp 118 miliar.

Sementara itu, shelter dibagi dalam tiga kelompok berdasarkan anggaran pembangunan. Tipe A pembangunan senilai Rp 1,5 miliar, seperti di Stasiun Kota, depan Rajamas, Museum Gajah, Hotel Westin, dan perhentian Blok M.

Tipe B senilai Rp 500 juta, shelter dibangun di Bank Indonesia, Sarinah, Sogo Plaza Indonesia, Dukuh Atas, Setiabudi, Wisma Dharmala, BRI, Polda, Wijoyo Center, Ratu Plaza dan Al-Azhar. Sementara tipe C senilai di bawah Rp 500 juta dibangun untuk shelter Hotel Mercure, Plaza Hayam Wuruk, Gajah Mada Plaza, dan Harmoni.

PEMPROV DKI optimistis dapat menyelesaikan pembangunan infrastruktur jalur bus khusus dalam waktu tiga bulan, terhitung Oktober hingga akhir Desember. Jangka waktu itu akan digunakan untuk membangun 19 dari 21 shelter (dua sudah telah dibangun), jembatan penyeberangan orang (dua di antaranya dilengkapi lift), dan separator antara jalur bus khusus dan jalur kendaraan pribadi.

Sedikit kecemasan muncul, apakah busway mampu terealisasi pada Desember ini? Merunut ke belakang, tergambar bahwa sedikit keraguan muncul dengan proyek yang penuh "katanya" tersebut. Dikatakan demikian karena proyek busway selalu tertunda.

Soft launching semula dijanjikan bulan Februari tahun lalu tertunda hingga Desember tahun 2002. Masyarakat telah menanti dengan penuh kesabaran, namun hingga Januari 2003 tidak muncul. Kembali Pemprov DKI menjanjikan terealisasi bulan Mei, Juni, Agustus dan Desember 2003.

Akan tetapi, sedikit keraguan muncul lagi, melihat kesiapan sarana dan prasarana sepertinya bakal tertunda hingga Januari 2004. Malah Irzal Z Djamal optimistis angkutan cepat massal yang menggunakan bus khusus itu akan beroperasi mulai Januari 2004.

Desember busway beroperasi? Rasanya sulit dipercaya. Lihat saja di lapangan, shelter- nya hampir belum tampak. Belum lagi separator sebagai pembatas kendaraan biasa dengan bus khusus. Juga belum diketahui bagaimana pengadaan 55 bus untuk busway yang saat ini masih dalam proses tender.

"Kami sudah bosan, katanya (kata pemerintah daerah) Desember. Pasti tidak jadi. Ini sudah mau memasuki pertengahan November, tapi haltenya belum ada. Belum lagi katanya mau pakai separator," kata Yuliani (38), warga Tangerang.

Bukan cuma Yuliani yang mencemaskan bus khusus tidak akan terealisasi. Wisnu (40), penumpang bus Blok M-Tanjung Priok, meyakini proyek busway tidak bisa dinikmati warga pada bulan Desember. "Namanya juga bus wae. Ya, yang ada bus wae bukan busway," celoteh Wisnu yang mempelesetkan busway menjadi bus wae.

Rianti (25), warga Ciledug yang juga mahasiswa di salah satu perguruan tinggi swasta di Jakarta Timur, meragukan Jakarta akan punya bus khusus di akhir tahun 2003. "Mengada- ada. Itu kan hanya proyek pejabat kita. Kalau tidak selesai tahun ini, kan masih ada tahun anggaran baru. Proyeknya bisa diadakan lagi tahun depan dan anggarannya pasti dinaikkan," katanya ketika dalam perjalanan dari Ciledug menuju Kampung Rambutan.

Bukan hanya warga, anggota DPRD DKI Jakarta dari Fraksi Partai Persatuan Pembangunan, Ali Imran Husein, meragukannya. Ia mengatakan, proyek busway seharusnya begitu mendesak. Akan tetapi, Dinas Perhubungan yang terkait dengan pengadaan proyek itu tidak serius. Karena itu, Ali meminta keseriusan lebih agar proyek tidak tertunda dan segera dinikmati warga.

Beralasan, kalau Gubernur DKI Jakarta Sutiyoso sedikit marah, sewaktu inspeksi mendadak terhadap bakal calon shelter di depan Kantor Polda Metro Jaya. Saat itu, Bang Yos menegaskan, Januari busway sudah harus beroperasi. Mungkin ini kado tahun baru bagi warga Jakarta dan sekitarnya.

Rustam kembali berjanji, target penyelesaian sarana pendukung busway akan diusahakan selesai Desember 2003. Apalagi, saat ini, semua yang terkait dengan shelter sistem knock down (siap bongkar pasang) sedang dikerjakan di bengkel. Dengan demikian, shelter langsung tinggal dipasang.

Sejauh ini memang belum ada rencana tuntas mengenai penyediaan angkutan umum yang layak di DKI Jakarta. Mungkinkah maunya Bang Yos, Tahun Baru 2004 warga Jakarta dan sekitarnya memperoleh kado busway?

(pingkan elita dundu/ Stefanus osa triyatna)
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8.11.03

Bus Way system

The Jakarta Post - A new transportation system called the busway will soon be put in service in Jakarta. The busway is intended to overcome traffic problems in the city. However, in my opinion, this new system will sooner or later become part of the traffic problems.

It seems that the planners have failed to consider some serious problems. For example, the busway will operate in the elite areas such as Jl. Sudirman, Jl. Rasuna Said (Kuningan) and Jl. Medan Merdeka. In fact, Jakarta has broad, integrated and interactive traffic problems.

Another factor not thoroughly considered is that the busway will "steal" one lane on the roads where it operates, where there already are not enough lanes. The busway will use a special lane not specially built but taken from the existing lanes, according to Kompas on Nov. 5.

Therefore it will reduce the already insufficient number of road lanes, and hence the situation will go from bad to worse. What is behind all this busway business?

To make matters worse, some of the trees along the road will be cut down to make space for busway stops.

An alternative solution that is worth considering is building an underground railway system. Also trams could help ease traffic in Jakarta.

Building more asphalt roads won't solve the problem as it will just cause people to buy new cars and we will end up with more vehicles on the roads. A solution to the traffic problems in Jakarta must include all of Jakarta and its surroundings, so as to serve the interest of the majority of the population, instead of exclusively focusing on the elite parts of the city.

SIMSON E. SILALAHI Jakarta
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4.10.03

Busway project shelters started

The Jakarta Post - The construction of eight of 29 bus shelters for the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), or busway, project began on Friday, said head of the City Transportation Agency Rustam Effendi.

The eight shelters are located along Jl. Sisingamangaraja, South Jakarta, and Jl. Jend. Sudirman, Central Jakarta.
Rustam said that completion of the construction was expected in December.
Other construction projects for the busway include median strips, footbridges and traffic lights.

The assistant to the city secretary for development affairs previously announced that the first busway corridor, from Blok M, South Jakarta, to Kota, Central Jakarta, would be inaugurated next January.
The project, costing some Rp 117 billion (US$13.76 million) was first introduced in 2001; its opening has been delayed several times. -- JP more

15.9.03

City not yet prepared to inaugurate busway

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Despite a number of delays, the city administration is still not yet ready to launch its bus rapid transit (BRT) system, popularly known as the busway, as two large questions remain to be answered.

Many have questioned the busway program, scheduled to be launched early in January, since it appears that it cannot resolve the traffic chaos along the route from Blok M to Kota.

The most difficult problems are whether the city administration has an adequate number of buses to transport a massive surge of passengers within a relatively short space of time, as most passengers will be workers, and what it will do with the existing 165 buses that currently ply the route.

Assistant to the city secretary for development affairs Irzal Djamal said on Saturday that the administration had been forced into implementing the Rp 115-billion project as it would initially deploy only 55 buses in the program.

Irzal was correcting two hasty statements by Governor Sutiyoso and city transportation agency chief Rustam Effendy that the busway program would be launched in December and as many as 60 buses would be deployed to support it.

He conceded that the number of buses would be far from sufficient because the program would need neither 55 nor 60 buses but around 200 to enable it to transport 60,000 passengers in the morning peak from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., and in the evening from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The administration has delayed several times the launch of the busway program due to complex problems anticipated to arise.

According to Irzal, with a total of 55 buses the BRT program would be able to carry only up to 20,000 passengers during peak hours, while the city administration has estimated that the actual number of passengers would total around 60,000.

The headway of buses will be about three minutes, meaning a bus would arrive at a shelter every three minutes or so. Irzal acknowledged the possibility of overload at bus shelters along the corridor because the headway would be far from the ideal -- 1.5 minutes.

"A 1.5-minute headway can be reached only if the buses deployed to serve the 12.9-kilometer route is at least 140. That could be achieved by the end of 2004," Irzal added.

Another problem is how the city administration will deal with the remaining 40,000 frustrated passengers who cannot be carried because other buses currently plying the route will no longer be allowed to operate.

Besides that, the city administration has yet to propose a solution with regard to the 165 buses currently operated by four bus companies, Djakarta Transport Company (PPD), Bianglala, Himpurna and Steady Safe.

Irzal said that the city administration had not yet offered a solution, including paying compensation to the four companies if they demanded it.

"Some buses will be allowed to continue plying the route but we have yet to determine how many will be granted operating permits. But of course, the buses will have to be modified so that they are compatible with the BRT shelters," Irzal said.
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6.9.03

What has become of the Jakarta busway project?

The Jakarta Post

Azas Tigor Nainggolan, Coordinator Forum of Jakarta Residents (FAKTA), Jakarta, azastigor@yahoo.com

It has been quite a while since we last heard of the busway project, which the Jakarta provincial administration said would kick off late in 2003.

The last media report about the project was related to the additional budget of Rp 34 billion, that the Jakarta provincial administration submitted to the legislative assembly. Earlier, in late July 2003, the project attracted our attention when one of the technical assistants from the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), John Earns, and a Brazilian expert in technical engineering, Paulo Custodio, came to Indonesia. Both were speakers in an introduction of the busway system sponsored by the privately-run Pelangi Foundation.

The two men expressed their optimism in the mass public transportation project by drawing comparisons with a project called Transmilenio in Bogota, Colombia (Kompas, July 31, 2003). Earns believed that the project in Jakarta, slated to be completed in 2007, would be successful because the city had broader streets than Bogota. Custodio said he believed that transportation problems in Jakarta resembled those prevailing in Bogota.

However, the comparison was very unfair and will only lower the reputation of city officials, including Governor Sutiyoso.

Maybe The Pelangi Foundation and the two foreign experts did not have the heart to be honest about the great differences between the two cities, in terms of social and political contexts, as well as the mentality of the city bureaucracy. Bogota is also three times larger than Jakarta.

Bogota's city center is as large as Bandung and neatly laid out in a European manner, unlike Jakarta, a city lacking an appropriate development plan. Bogota is populated by about seven million people, the unemployment rate between 16 and 18 percent. Jakarta, on the other hand, boasts a population of 10 million with scores of unemployed people living in poverty.

Another difference between Jakarta and Bogota lies in the circumstances of Jakarta's governor, and former Bogota mayor Enrique Penallosa (who began the Transmilenio program in 1988).

This program is continued by the new mayor, Antanas Mockus. Both Penallosa and Mockus come from educated circles. Penallosa was a directly elected mayor supported by 60 percent of Bogota residents. Like his predecessor, Mockus was also directly elected. But, in contrast, Sutiyoso was not directly elected; he was supported by 47 out of 85 members of the Jakarta legislative assembly.

As a guest in Bogota in early February 2003, I witnessed Mockus' popularity. Residents rushed to shake hands with him the moment he got out from his car. Even sidewalk vendors joined the jubilant flock of people wishing to shake his hand. Likewise, wherever Penallosa walked, motorists shouted and waved to him. A student told me that Penallosa and Mockus were the best mayors Bogota had ever had.

It would be difficult to see a similar relationship between Sutiyoso and the residents of Jakarta.

It is worth noting that Bogota has a 200-kilometer-long network of roads for pedestrians and motorcyclists. Both Penallosa and Mockus realized that corruption had long plagued the city bureaucracy. However, their Transmilenio program involved the residents of the city, in an indication that the mayoralty was ready for direct control. So, slowly but surely, it seems they are able to eliminate corruption from the bureaucracy.

Unfortunately, Sutiyoso is not prepared to involve the residents in such programs. That is why -- although there is evidence of corruption within the provincial bureaucracy of Jakarta -- legal proceedings have never taken place.

In the busway project, worth Rp 2.7 billion, the establishment of bus lanes and bus stops is not offered through an open bid. Irregularities are also suspected in the project's budget. Initially, the city administration requested Rp 86 billion to be allocated to the project in the 2003 Jakarta provincial budget; but asked for an additional Rp 34 billion for unclear reasons.

It is now September 2003, but we are yet to be informed which company will mark the roads and which will supply the buses. Also, the people are still in the dark when it comes to the transportation operators to manage the busway.

We fear the project officers will argue that -- given that time is running out for the project's commencement -- an open tender is unnecessary, and finally the city administration will simply appoint certain companies to carry out the project.

Judging by past experience, the city administration might inflate the budget and then authorize the appointed companies to purchase new buses. The bus supply is also vulnerable to wrongdoings. The original price of a bus -- around Rp 750 million -- may be marked up to Rp 800 million.

All this produces skepticism, particularly of the idea that the ambitious busway project will be a success in Jakarta.

The writer is also coordinator of Citizens' Coalition for Transportation in Jakarta.
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19.6.03

City buys 60 buses without holding tender

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Officials of the city administration revealed on Wednesday that they are purchasing 60 buses for the busway system without holding a tender, which is a violation of a presidential decree on the procurement of goods and services for government agencies.

Head of the city transportation agency Rustam Effendi said the buses which would be used in the first 12.9-kilometers of the bus rapid transit (BRT) or busway from Blok M in South Jakarta to Kota area in Central Jakarta would be Hino and Mercedes buses.

"Yes, the procurement of the 60 buses will be from Hino and Mercedes. It (The process) is completed," Rustam told the press at City Hall, adding that the assembling plant of the buses would be PT New Armada.

The city administration has allocated Rp 50 billion for procuring the buses from the city budget. The fund is part of some Rp 117 billion which has been allocated to fund the project.

The procurement of the buses is a direct violation of Presidential Decree No. 18/2000 on the procurement of goods and services for government agencies.

Article 17, paragraph 4 of the presidential decree stipulates that the procurement of goods and services may be implemented without tender under four conditions:

* If the value of the project is not more than Rp 50 million.

* In the case of consulting services, where it is hard to find participants who meet the requirements.

* In emergency or special conditions, upon approval of the minister/head of non-ministerial institution/governor/mayor/director of state-owned companies.

* If there is only one supplying company

According to Rustam, the city administration could not hold a tender due to the shortage of time as the buses were needed within six months.

"The presidential decree allows for direct appointment in an emergency situation," said Rustam.

Governor Sutiyoso said that he was not aware of the direct appointment of the companies for the procurement of the buses. He stressed, however, that he had no objection if there was a reasonable argument behind the appointment.

"The most important thing for me is that the project is expedited," he said.

Meanwhile, chairman of the Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) Azas Tigor Nainggolan slammed the direct appointment of the bus suppliers, saying that there was no reason for the city not to hold a tender for procuring the buses.

"How could they say it is an emergency situation when the plan to buy the buses had already been determined last year," Tigor told The Jakarta Post.
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10.6.03

Another Rp 32 billions

Another Rp 32b sought for controversial busway project
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The city administration said on Monday it would need an additional Rp 32 billion for its bus rapid transit (BRT) -- or busway -- project, an admission that points to the administration's poor planning of the project.

With the additional fund, which is to be taken from the city budget, the 12.9-kilometer busway stretching from Blok M, South Jakarta, to Kota, Central Jakarta, will cost at least Rp 117 billion.

"There will be significant changes in the designs of the bus shelters and bridges connecting pavements and the shelters located on the median strip," busway project leader Irzal Djamal said.

It was the second revision of the project's budget since the plan was introduced two years ago. Initially, it was estimated that the project would only cost Rp 50 billion. The figure was revised up to Rp 85 billion late last year. The implementation of the project has also been postponed several times already.

Even with the additional fund, Governor Sutiyoso said he could not guarantee that the busway would be completed in December according to the latest schedule, as there might be technical problems.

Sutiyoso said the new design for the 29 shelters would be similar to the busway shelters in Bogota, measuring 13 meters instead of the earlier design of 5 meters, and that owing to the increased space, no air conditioners would be installed as initially planned.

As for the 21 pedestrian bridges, Sutiyoso said they would be resigned as a winding, combined staircase and ramp to provide accessibility for disabled people, instead of a straight staircase.

Irzal explained that the redesigning of the bus shelter required an additional Rp 15 billion, while the change in the bridge design needed Rp 17 billion.

He did not say how much was currently allocated toward the shelters and connecting bridges, but from the previous budget of Rp 85 billion, Rp 35 billion is allocated toward the infrastructure: Shelters, connecting bridges, separators and traffic signs. Another Rp 50 billion will be used to purchase 60 buses.

He stressed that if the busway project was launched in December, the 165 buses now running along the designated busway corridors by eight bus operators -- including state-owned public bus operator PPD, Mayasari Bakti, Steady Safe and Bianglala -- would be rerouted.

Asked if the new buses would be able to accommodate the bulk of passengers who regularly travel from Blok M to Kota, Irzal could not provide an answer, but said that 140 busway buses would be available by 2004.

He also said that the buses for the busway could not use gasoline as planned earlier, because of technical problems, and would instead run on diesel fuel. It takes eight months to process the order for gasoline-powered buses, while another four months would be needed to assemble them.

However, he guaranteed that the emission from the buses would meet the international Euro II standard for environmentally friendly vehicles.

Developed countries generally use Euro III-rated buses.
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