Buckle Up Jakartans, More Gridlock Coming Your Way Till 2025
Jakarta. Jakarta Smart City Head Setiaji on Thursday (09/02) implored Jakartans to bear severe congestion in the capital's main streets — mainly caused by construction work on new public transport system, including the underground Mass Rapid Transit metro network — for a while longer yet.
"We now have the MRT construction, as well as new overpasses and underpasses, on roads that are normally busy in any case. [Jakartans] are in for more suffering [on the road] until 2018," Setiaji said.
According to Setiaji, the torture might even continue until 2025, the year his department expects Jakarta's new intelligent transportation system (ITS) will be completed.
Setiaji said technology will play a huge role in overcoming the megalopolitan's traffic woes, especially "big data."
"What residents want is up-to-date information, and certainty. They want to be able to plan ahead and optimize the use of their time," Setiaji added.
Jakarta Smart City — part of the Jakarta administration with an office at City Hall — has partnered with Waze and Google Maps to keep Jakartans informed about the latest traffic detours caused by construction works and special events in the city, such as the Jakarta Marathon.
Big data and older technology such as CCTV monitoring will also help the city's authorities manage traffic better and more effectively. There may soon come a time when the ubiquitous traffic wardens are no longer seen in each intersection.
The department has also launched a new app called Trafi that can be used to check real-time movements, timetables and route maps of TransJakarta buses, commuter line trains and intercity buses.
The vice president of communications firm Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise Asia Pacific, Ernest Lee, said the pain Jakarta residents have to go through now will eventually give way to better traffic and a more humane Jakarta.
"With a tech-based integrated transportation system, living standards in Jakarta will improve massively," Lee said.
"Imagine if you can cut the time you now spend stuck in traffic by just an hour. Life would be so much less frustrating, and your whole lifestyle would change for the better," he added.
"Jakarta has made the right choice going for the smart city concept. It will definitely improve life quality for the residents. Other cities should follow its example," Lee said.
The Singaporean executive said his country has already benefited massively from ITS, which created wholesale lifestyle changes by discouraging the use of cars and encouraging Singaporeans to take the MRT and public buses instead.
Jakarta at the moment has no plan to limit the number of cars allowed in the city, though Setiaji said he is looking into limiting the use of cars.
"We want to introduce a 'park and ride' system, but we need to improve the existing public transport system first," he said.
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