Bikers may be eased off Jakarta roads
Jakarta may ban bikers from main thoroughfares. After raising on-street parking fares and directing motorcyclists to drive in the "slow" left lanes, the Jakarta administration is now planning to ban bikers from using main roads altogether during peak hours.
"It is very uncomfortable [for car drivers] having so many motorcycles on city streets. We must regulate them," said Governor Sutiyoso at City Hall after meeting the city-sanctioned Jakarta Transportation Board on Thursday. The two bodies are planning to encourage motorcyclists to leave their motorbikes outside main thoroughfares and take the [mass-transit system known as the] Busway instead. Cheaper fares would help attract motorists, Sutiyoso said. This opened the opportunity for developers to construct off-street parking sites around these main streets, he said. Motorcycles have sharply increased in numbers on Jakarta streets during the past five years as public bus and taxi fares have increased by more than 100 per cent since the first fuel price hikes in 2002. Cheaper to use than taxis, motorcycles are popular because they can weave through traffic jams, although they expose riders to the city's notorious air pollution. The board estimates that more than three million motorcycles use Jakarta streets every day compared to the city's 2.5 million cars. Board chairman Soetanto Soehodho said motorcycles were often driven dangerously between cars and this caused traffic congestion. Their weaving about meant bikers often took up as much space as cars, he said. Soetanto admitted the plan to ban bikes from main roads would not work unless the administration gave riders an affordable and comfortable public transport alternative. "You can't just tell people to stop riding motorcycles but not give a solution to their transportation needs," he said.
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