Governor Anies Baswedan named among 21 world ‘heroes’ for sustainable mobility

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan riding a bicycle during the inauguration ceremony of the first phase of the new bicycle lanes on September 20, 2019. Photo: Instagram/@aniesbaswedan
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan riding a bicycle during the inauguration ceremony of the first phase of the new bicycle lanes on September 20, 2019. Photo: Instagram/@aniesbaswedan

Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan has received the honor of being named one of the world’s champions in the advancement of sustainable mobility in 2021.

The Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI), a global sustainable mobility implementation initiative, recently released its 21 Heroes of 2021 list of individuals who have achieved success in the field of transportation despite challenges of the pandemic in 2020. Anies came 17th on the list, among esteemed names as Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo.

Tumi wrote of Anies’ achievements: “Already scarce resources in Jakarta dwindled during Covid-19, yet resourceful Anies led steady transit improvements, including respective bus services and plans for a large cycling network, 63km of which are already in place.”

“Amid the city smog, he saw an opportunity for launching an electric bus operational plan and the renovation of city-owned public transportation stations directly linked to commuter line railway stations.”

You can read the full report here.

Anies reacted to being named on the list with an air of humility.

“This achievement is the fruit of the collaboration of numerous parties. From the beginning, we opened as widely as possible the opportunity for the public to get involved in the planning of our transportation system,” the governor said today.

His critics, however, say the recognition is undeserved as Anies merely enjoyed the fruits of his predecessors’ labors.

“It must be noted that the mass transportation facilities enjoyed by people in the capital had long journeys [to become what they are today]. It started with the [TransJakarta bus] under Governor Sutiyoso, all the way to the MRT, which was pushed by [president and former Jakarta governor] Joko Widodo,” Gembong Warsono, who chairs the PDI-P faction at the Jakarta Regional Legislative Council (DPRD), said today.

“They all existed in Anies’ era. Maybe the recognition over the bike lanes is acceptable, because before Anies the construction of bike lanes wasn’t optimal.”

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