TransJakarta Corridor VIII Revisited

Remember all the brouhaha when the city govt of Jakarta, under then-new "chief dictator" Fauzi Bowo, forced their ridiculous plan for the TransJakarta's VIII corridor in Metro Pondok Indah? Back then, virtually all residents of Pondok Indah, along with other Jakartans who had enough common sense, opposed the plan. They -or more appropriately, we- did so for we feared that the plan would only do more harm than good.

The govt's initial plan was to make an elevated concrete track that would eat a lane in each direction of Metro Pondok Indah, an already congested thoroughfare in Pondok Indah. Learning from what happened in other underdeveloped, unmaintained corridors -bar the first corridor- it could be concluded that the project would attract more traffic jams than passengers. To compensate the loss, the govt also planned to widen the road which requires cutting down hundreds of palm trees lining it.

Residents' opposition included a petition, a lawsuit against the govt, and a series of banners condemning the plan. For weeks, it seemed that the debate was in a stalemate until the govt stealthily started the destruction one night. The debate raged even more, especially after the works caused numerous traffic jams that also spreaded out to the smaller streets. Unthoughtful residents of other areas started putting up banners in support of the plan. A newspaper even wrote an article questioning residents' conscience. Regardless of those obstacles, the battle was fought bravely against the "dictatorship", against the concrete blocks that laid defiantly on taxpayers' road.

Now, months after that, we can proudly say that it was a battle well-fought. The govt finally relented after heavy opposition. Cars will be allowed in the formerly-exclusive bus lanes. In effect, the whole track in Metro Pondok Indah was made level to the rest of the road. (Technically it was the other way around: the road was elevated to the height of the partially-made concrete tracks.) In addition, the street got an extra lane without sacrificing the palm trees. The few that did get cut off on the PIM1 side was instantly compensated for in the same site.

As we see the lane gets painted with a (hideous) red pattern and the "kerupuk box" bus stops being constructed, we learn an important lesson. It is an example of democracy, in which power lies in the hands of the people. It is essential that the people know their rights and be ready if the time comes to defend those rights. The whole thing serves as a model on how citizens can direct where their govt will go, so as to find the best direction for all.