Mystery Reveals: Jakarta Surrounded Congestion

The imbalance between the number of motor vehicles with a length of road infrastructure is the main cause of congestion problems in Jakarta. In addition, the more distant settlements from the centers of activity, especially places to work are also factors that cause significant bottlenecks. To date, the number of vehicles has already reached 6.5 million units, where 6.4 million units or 98.6% are private vehicles and 88 477 units or approximately 1.4% is public transport. In addition, the growth of vehicles in Jakarta were also extremely high, each year could reach 10%. For vehicles, the growth rate reached 240 units per day, whereas for motorcycles, the growth rate reached 890 units per day. Public transportation, whether in the form of taxis, cars, goods, tourist buses, or bus AKAP, only an increase of 8 thousand during the period 2001-2008. Meanwhile, in the year 2008, the highest share occupied taxis for public transport vehicles of all types of public transport in Jakarta, amounting to 48%, while the bus is only 17%.

Ministry of Public Works revealed the growth rate of motor vehicles in the Greater Jakarta area reached 9% per year, is not comparable with the rate of growth of road which is only 0.01% per year. As a result, Jakarta has a deficit of road where the broad street in the capital is only about 6.2% of the total area, whereas, the number of vehicles reached 178 cars per 1000 people. In addition, if the city development and transportation in Jakarta is left running without a breakthrough policy, then in Jakarta in 2014 estimated a total loss. Once the vehicle out of the garage, he would immediately paralyzed in a long queue of vehicles. These figures put forward by the Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) after seeing the development of population, vehicles and road facilities in Jakarta.

These numbers become very significant because of the availability of road infrastructure in Jakarta was not yet complied with the ideal. The length of roads in Jakarta only about 7650 km with an area of 40.1 km2, or only 6.26% of the total territory. In fact, the ideal ratio between the area of road infrastructure and is 14%. With a condition that is not ideal, can be easily understood if the more difficult to overcome traffic congestion and air pollution is increasing.

Apart from aspects related to facilities and infrastructure, congestion aggravated by the presence of the Jakarta shopping centers (malls), which has long been both existing and new. If we examine, for the last five years grow some towering commercial buildings in the city center or in an area already crowded with commercial activity. The presence of new commercial buildings that automatically generate traffic to rise significantly, thereby becoming a new magnet congestion in the city center. This phenomenon will continue to arise because there are still some vacant land in Jakarta. For owners of capital, land is the main capital for capital accumulation even more. And where there is vacant land, there will be built a new commercial center.