When former Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama banned motorcycles from entering Jalan Thamrin, one of the capital’s main thoroughfares, back in December 2014, many decried the move as discriminatory, but Ahok argued the ban was needed to reduce congestion and accidents along the perpetually gridlocked stretch of road in the heart of the capital.
In line with many of the other moves he has made to overturn the policies of his predecessor, recently inaugurated Governor Anies Baswedan has announced that he wants the ban on motorcycles in Thamrin to be lifted, saying he wants all of Jakarta’s residents to be able to access all of the city’s roads.
“We want to make sure that the whole area of Jakarta is indeed accessible to its citizens, whether it be on two-wheels, four-wheels or more,” Anies said yesterday at City Hall as quoted by Kompas.
As an example of why the ban should be lifted, Anies said that there were many F&B businesses in the area that could not handle lunchtime food orders because of the motorcycle prohibition.
Anies mentioned lifting the ban in the context of a meeting about the construction of new expanded sidewalks along Thamrin as well as Jalan Sudirman ahead of the 2018 Asian Games.
When asked about lifting the motorcycle ban on Thamrin, Jakarta Transportation Deputy Head Sigit Wijatmoko said that, while the ban was primarily sold as a means of reducing traffic, that was only one purpose of the policy and that a greater concern was security in the area, which is near numerous government buildings, the Hotel Indonesia Roundabout and the National Monument, all frequently the site of demonstrations.
“It’s a central point if there is a rally, so there is a security aspect, it’s not only calculating the ratio (of vehicles), but also state security,” Sigit said when contacted by Detik yesterday, noting that lifting the ban could open the door to the large-scale motorcycle convoys demos.
Attempts to expand the motorcycle ban area outside of Thamrin have been discussed, most recently by Ahok’s temporary replacement, Governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat, but strong public opposition to the plans have always led them to back down.
