An international study of mobile phone pedometer data that found that Indonesians take fewer steps per day than in any other country helped put the issue of pedestrian rights into the spotlight in Jakarta. The government has carried out several operations to help keep the sidewalks clear of motorcyclists and other obstructions, and now Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat has promised to not only widen the sidewalks along the capital’s busiest thoroughfare but also add bicycle lanes as well.
“When (the sidewalks) are widened, one lane will be given for bike paths,” Djarot said at City Hall today as quoted by Kompas.
The plan is for the sidewalks on Jalan Sudirman, part of the capital’s main north-south thoroughfare, to be widened from its most northern point, the Hotel Indonesia Roundabout, down to Jalan Bendungan Hilir. The project is being funded with funds leftover from the newly finished Semanggi Interchange project (which was initiated by former Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama and has been praised for the speed and efficiency of its construction).
Djarot said the widened sidewalks would also include sections where tents could be set up at night for food stalls and hangout spots for young people. However, he said the tents would only come up at night and then taken down during the day.
“The groundbreaking, God willing, will take place in early October, specifically for the sidewalk from Benhil (Bendungan Hilir) to the HI Roundabout,” Djarot said.
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