Indonesia had almost 9 million motorized vehicles in 1990, of which 70% were motorcycles and 15% were cars. The motorized vehicle fleet increased in line with the urban population. There were 5 motorized vehicles for every 100 persons in 1990. The percentage of urban households owning a non-motorized vehicle in 1989 was only slightly higher (35%) than those owning a motorized vehicle (29%). By 2015, it is forecasted that about 2.5 million cars and 1.2 million motorcycles will crowd the roads of Jabotabek.

-BPPT, 1992

Rapid increases in car and motorcycle ownership in Surabaya over recent years (are) creating serious and widespread traffic congestion. In the future, if no action is taken, conditions will deteriorate still further. It is estimated that a journey to work that takes thirty minutes now, will take up to one hour by the year 2010.

-Surabaya Integrated Transport Network Planning Report No. B3, “Traffic Demand Management”, 1998

Introduction

Congestion, not only is it troublesome for the individual motorist in terms of delay, stress, and uncertainty, but it is also a problem that confronts society as a whole. Not to mention, the impact congestion has upon the environment in terms of higher emissions, noise, and visual intrusion, thus also implicating for public health and safety. When referred to the data that BPPT issued in 1992, congestion also has a role in increasing economic pressure due to high fuel demand.

Various parties play different roles in society, each contributing in their own way to congestion whether they realize it or not. Even the financial sector (banks) contribute greatly to congestion by providing automobile mortgages; empowering people to own private vehicles. Motor vehicle manufacturers are also greatly responsible for providing society with incredibly affordable vehicles. This article does not convey that it’s wrong to have your own motor vehicles, its only asking readers to think about their contribution to society, and asking readers to take a look at the possibilities to help reduce the economic pressure that we face when we commute daily in our private vehicles (fuel demands, maintenance costs, insurance, etc.)

The solution to this matter that makes the most sense is of course public transport or urban mass transit. As one professor in Shanghai, China, once mentioned:

The earlier urban transit system is developed, the greater the possibility to avoid congestion issues.

-Zhang, “Development of East Asian Cities” (lecture) Tongji University Shanghai, CAUP, 24/12/2007

Although Zhang’s statement indicates that urban transit system must be developed as early as possible in the urban development stages, it doesn’t mean that it’s too late for big cities that up until today have not properly developed urban mass transit.  The following are possible forms of urban mass transit and other possible solutions to this clog:

Busway

The term Busway refers to a form of public mass transport (buses) that exclusively occupies a lane in main arterial roads.

“.. Jakarta sejak ada busway ama masalah banjir jadi kacau banget..[..eversince we have the busway and the regular floods, Jakarta has been really chaotic..]” this is an excerpt from an email that I received from a friend of mine, D, on November 29th, 2007. In this message, he states his disappointment with the latest form of urban mass transit currently available in Jakarta. It’s not a surprise that a lot of people are disappointed with the busway system, and most people accuse the busway as the cause of further congestion as it occupies an exclusive lane in major arterial roads, thus reducing the number of existing vehicle lanes.

Railway (Rail-based Transportation)

Railways in Indonesia were built during the Dutch colonization era and were not intended to serve the intra-urban passengers. The strategic concept was clear that our suburban railway network was intended to connect large cities with smaller cities nearby e.g. Jakarta with Bekasi, Bogor, and Tangerang. Thus railways did not correlate with the urban development patterns which mainly guided development towards major arterial roads.

Surabaya has developed what is known as the commuter train, a light rail train connecting Surabaya and Sidoarjo. The idea is to serve the people who commute to and fro between Sidoarjo and Surabaya especially during rush hour. Thus ultimately reducing the volume of private motor vehicles that operate along some of the main arteries. So far, this has been the best solution since it actually reduces the amount of private vehicles on the road, and it doesn’t occupy the roads at all, but operate on its own tracks.

 Highway

The idea of developing highway systems to overcome traffic congestion has been heard of quite often. In my opinion, providing highways may be able to solve the congestion problems that a big city has, but it is nothing more than just a short-term solution, and a win-win solution for both construction contractors and the urban authorities.

IT Solutions

T, a friend of mine, suggested in a conversation some time in early December 2007, that rescheduling the public transport trajectory route and controlling congestion-risk nodes may be an efficient solution to congestion. During our conversation, T mentioned that a program which can calculate the volume and amount of public transport vehicles should be operational according to the time of the day be developed. This program will also determine the best route to be taken during certain periods of the day. Thus there is a possibility that there will be various routes going from A to B. One route perhaps with more or less stops than the other.

Closing Remarks

The solutions mentioned above are the sort that a great number of funds, thought / energy, and time. Perhaps it would make a lot of sense if authorities would simply make do with whatever it is that they have in hand at the moment. In other words, repair the existing forms of public transport facilities and improve their service quality. Not only that, urban authorities should also actively promote the use of public transport through mass media. As for the greater society, please reconsider when you board your private vehicles; nothing compares to communal needs. Not even prestige.

Word by word suffocated my lungs and so they hung there, limped and numbed. The scattered houses down bellow are a jungle of undeniable truths of how living squatters in Indonesia’s biggest city, Jakarta is conditioned. I am sure if you open the car window you would smell the bad odor rousing from down there. Haphazard developments of housing on unattended or under disputes of ownership lands are what had happened to form these squatters.

In contrast of the glamour cityscape, behind skyscrapers, beyond hope these funguses of development live and grow. They do not belong to no one, these slums we may call; belong to us as citizens of the world. They appear not only in Indonesia, but also in other cities and other countries; disguised in different names, favellas of Rio, shikumen settlements of Shanghai, kampung of  Indonesian cities, and many others.

This phenomenon is discussed thoroughly in Mike Davis’ Planet of Slums. There seem to be a laisez faire of mental by governments of these countries to let them grow. Unfortunately, there is not much can be done to improve their conditions due to many top bottom decisions that lack of attentions. Many of improvements program are misled and used not according to the inhabitants’ needs. Not to mention the mean strategy some of the capitalists are using when they want the land for a certain development.

So, is there a way out of this? Of course there is, if we would all sit together and listen! The need of these people can be assessed by a simple act of observing. May be they who sit up there do not need this, but we as planner do. Steps are more effective taken from bottom up approaches.

Use the inhabitants’ communal spirit. Most informal settlements everywhere around the globe have strong ties with their neighborhood.

Improvements can start with small things. Cleanliness of the settlements is a god start. Give these settlers the understanding of a healthier environment by keeping clean their living spaces.

Grow the feeling of common ownerships. Participatory planning in slum areas would be proven effective, because the inhabitants are also involved in the process. We need to let them know first of all, that this is for the common sake of everyone.

The United Nations in their reports mentioned that more than one billion people now live in the slums of the cities of the South. This is our chance to help creating betterment for citizens of tomorrow. So, step up to it, my fellow planners and architects!