By Michael Taylor
JAKARTA, April 2 (Reuters) – Car and motorbike sales in
Indonesia’s chaotic capital far outpace the building of new
roads, meaning traffic in Jakarta soon grinds to a halt –
leaving motorists to battle it out among themselves for what few
shortcuts can be found.
During rush hours especially, rules go out of the window as
cars constantly beep horns and switch lanes. Motorbikes play a
game of chicken with pedestrians on the crumbling pavements.
But one group of pedestrians has decided enough is enough.
Koalisi Pejalan Kaki, or Pedestrian Coalition, is a direct
action group that was established last July in an attempt to
reclaim sidewalks from motorbikes and street vendors.
“Our first action was inspired by my daughter, who asked me
‘why are the motorcyclists passing through the sidewalk,
daddy?'” said group coordinator Anthony Ladjar. “I won’t let
them negatively educate my daughter, so we started a movement.”
Each Friday, the group of 20 to 30 people picks an area in
Jakarta where motorcyclists and food vendors can be seen using
pavements and forcing pedestrians onto the roads.
For an hour they gather on a pavement to stage silent
protests with placards reading “Sidewalks for pedestrians” or
“Sidewalks are not for motorbikes.”
During the first protest in Jakarta’s Kota district, Ladjar
blocked the pavement by lying on the ground.
“Some people said that I am a nut, but others said they
respected my action,” he said. “Things are going all right and
nobody seems to attack us.”
“We hope that thousands of motorcyclists and drivers see our
action and become more educated and respect our rights.”
SLOW PROGRESS
A long-awaited land acquisition law was passed by Indonesian
lawmakers in December last year, allowing the country to
accelerate road, port and airport projects.
But like Jakarta’s traffic, progress is slow. A planned
monorail in the city isn’t set to be completed until late 2016.
In the meantime, the TransJakarta bus service, the city’s
main bus service, suffers from limited routes and huge
overcrowding at peak times, pushing more and more residents into
buying motorbikes.
According to police and government figures, Jakarta’s 25
million residents are riding some 11.36 million vehicles,
including more than 8 million motorbikes, and the love affair
with transport continues unabated.
But the coalition has still achieved some modest success.
After similar action in Yogyakarta, Java’s cultural capital,
the mayor signed a memorandum of understanding and agreed to
work with authorities to become more pedestrian-friendly.
The coalition has also developed links with similar groups
across the globe, including Germany’s Deutsche Gesellschaft f 1/4r
Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Clean Air Initiative
for Asian Cities.
“This demonstration is a very good action,” said Yansen
Sitorus, a 30-year old worker at an international oil company.
Not all observers are fans, though.
“These people are weird,” said Asep, a 50-year old street
vendor who watched a Pedestrian Coalition demonstration. “They
are not right in the head.”
But Ladjar remains undaunted, vowing to press on.
“We won’t stop until the city administration responds to our
pleas,” he said.
(Reporting by Michael Taylor; Editing by Elaine Lies)
