Metropolitan Decade of Changes, Lots of Work Await

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

A vehicle passes through the JORR II toll road section of the Kunciran-Serpong toll road after being inaugurated by President Joko Widodo Friday (6/12/2019). The 11-kilometer Serpong-Kunciran toll road onnects South Tangerang with Tangerang city, Banten, and can further connect to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.

Changes continue to occur in Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi, a grouping of cities also known as Jabodetabek. At the end of 2010, this daily reported that Jabodetabek was stuck with the same problems, namely traffic congestion caused by a lack of public transportation services and a continuing increase in the number of private vehicles, the slow progress of the flood anticipation projects and the failure of achieving regional integration.

A decade has passed. By the end of 2019, some of the issues will have been resolved. In Jakarta, in the past three years, about 16 percent of the city’s 2,600 kilometers of sidewalks have been rejuvenated. There are about 300 integrated child-friendly public spaces (RPTRA), Taman Maju Bersama, and a number of urban forests in Jakarta.

In the city of Bogor, some sidewalks have been widened, such as those around the Bogor Botanical Gardens. In Cibinong, Bogor regency, construction based on the Lake Front City concept began to be implemented. Cibinong has 17 of the total of 95 lakes in the Greater Jakarta area. One of them is now part of the front yard of its town hall.

Bekasi city has also improved. One improvement was the realization of an urban forest adjacent to the Patriot Stadium. In the city of Tangerang, city parks, such those located on the banks of the Cisadane River, gives a humanistic touch to the industrial city.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Passengers travel aboard the light rail train (LRT) from Pegangsaan Dua LRT Station in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta, to the Velodrome Station in Rawamangun, Friday (29/11/2019).

South Tangerang stands out with its population administration services, such as the issuance of child identity cards, family cards and birth certificates. The regency has received a national award for its fast, one-stop services and no-extortion services.

To reduce flooding, the Jabodetabek regional government and the central government have initiated a project to jointly dredge, widen and raise river walls. These efforts have been carried out on some rivers in Jakarta and surrounding areas.

Lakes, reservoirs and waterways have also been cleaned. As well, earlier this year the public witnessed the start of operations of a mass rapid train (MRT) route connecting Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta and the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta.

The construction of the next route linking the traffic circle and Ancol is underway. The light rail train (LRT) of Jakarta, although only five kilometers from Kelapa Gading to Velodrome in East Jakarta, has also been in operation. The Jabodetabek LRT railroad connecting Bogor and Bekasi to Jakarta is also under construction and is expected to start operating in 2021.

There is also Jaklingko, a system that integrates mass transportation with regular transportation such as minibuses.

The MRT and LRT services add to the 13 Transjakarta bus corridors in the capital, which provide connecting routes in the city and neighboring areas. There is also Jaklingko, a system that integrates mass transportation with regular transportation such as minibuses.

In addition, there has been a revolution in the electric commuter train (KRL) service. In 2009, many passengers used to crowd onto the roofs of the trains. Starting in 2011, changes began with the simplification of the routes, the removal of passenger classes, the improvement of the ticketing system and the standardization of services.

KOMPAS/ALIF ICHWAN

The presence of MRT Jakarta is predicted to reduce congestion by around 30 percent. The Lebak Bulus-Bundaran HI route can be reached within 30 minutes. The MRT operates every day starting at 5:30 a.m. until midnight. Amid the holiday season, many people are trying out the mode of transportation in Jakarta, Wednesday (06/12/2019).

Stations have also been improved. Atapers (passengers riding on the train roofs) have disappeared. Metropolitan residents have become used to queuing and ceding priority places to those in need. Several overpass roads and tunnels were built at railway crossings.

The construction of toll roads is continuing. In addition to Jakarta’s inner ring roads, a number of outer ring toll roads are also being developed to connect the Jabodetabek areas. Some of them are already in operation.

Integration has not yet been realized

Physically, the integration of Jakarta and the surrounding regencies and cities can create a giant city. The development of the area of Bodetabek (Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi) is 50,338 hectares, almost equivalent to Jakarta\'s 66,150 ha. Jabodetabek\'s population is 25 million to 30 million.

In terms of the environment, the Greater Jakarta area is a large ecosystem. Almost all the rivers in the megapolitan area flow from Puncak, Bogor.

Since five to 10 years ago, as this newspaper recorded, the gross domestic product (GDP) of Jabodetabek accounted for 25 percent of national GDP. In terms of the environment, the Greater Jakarta area is a large ecosystem. Almost all the rivers in the megapolitan area flow from Puncak, Bogor. However, a program to integrate the spatial planning of the areas has not materialized. The Puncak mountain area in Bogor has been developed as a tourist destination but its reforestation remains uncertain.

The development of public transportation is only centered on Jakarta. Mass transportation systems have been tried in surrounding cities but some of them have failed. Ride-hailing services dominate public transportation and they are difficult to control. Local and central government seems to ignore this chaos.

KOMPAS/WAWAN H PRABOWO

A commuter train passes in the Tanah Abang area, Central Jakarta, Thursday (25/4/2019). PT Kereta Commuter Indonesia (KCI) fully supports the government\'s plan for transportation integration in Greater Jakarta because it will facilitate community mobility.

In the other hand, in Jakarta, only about 60 percent of the residents have access to piped water. South Tangerang will only begin to provide a piped water supply this year. The provision of piped water in other regions remains nonexistent.

The rubbish problem is even worse. According to a survey conducted by researchers of the Oceanographic Research Center of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences, Muhammad Reza Cordova and Intan Suci Nurhati, during 2015 and 2016, rivers flowing to Jakarta carried 8.32 tons of plastic waste per day into Jakarta Bay. Plastic waste accounts for 55 to 60 percent of the total garbage that enters the bay. The amount of garbage carried by the Bekasi River and the Dadap River in Tangerang is even greater than that dumped by all seven rivers in Jakarta.

Tolerance and transparency

The Religion Affairs Ministry released the 2019 Religious Harmony Index (KUB) survey recently. The religious tolerance score in Jakarta, West Java and Banten is below the national average of 73.83.

Uniquely, in the 2018 Indonesian Democracy Index by the Central Statistics Agency, Jakarta was ranked higher than other provinces.

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

MRT trains are parked at Lebak Bulus MRT Depot, South Jakarta, Wednesday (20/2/2019).

In the aspects of civil liberties and democracy, Jakarta recorded a high score, but transparency remains weak. The drafting of the Jakarta budget during the past several months was considered by some parties, such as Fitra (a forum for budget transparency), as only involving the government. Since the start of the budgeting process, the public has not been involved. The lack of transparency hampers collaboration between the government and the people.

The progress made in the last decade must be appreciated. However, a myriad of works still have to be completed by the authorities in the Jabodetabek area. The humanistic city that many people dream about is still a work in progress.