President Joko Widodo, also known as Jokowi, is on a mission to save billions of dollars lost to Jakarta’s infamous traffic congestion.
The president held a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, January 8 and ordered officials to tackle the worsening traffic conditions in the Greater Jakarta area. Authorities have estimated that the congestion costs about Rp65 trillion, or US$4.6 billion of annual economic losses.
The president highlighted that many parties had responsibilities in the road sector, such as the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing, Jakarta administration, Banten administration, and West Java administration. Jokowi viewed that most of the road management is not integrated.
Jokowi demanded public transportation in Jabodetabek be integrated. By the time they are connected, the public could be then encouraged to leave their private vehicles.
“We have to have the courage to act, courage to design, so that everything can be completed, so that the 65 trillion rupiah can become goods and not smoke that fills the city,” Jokowi said. With greater integration of transport services “the cars on the road can really be reduced on a large scale,” an official statement cited the president as saying.
Photo: merdeka.com/imam buhori
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