The South Jakarta neighborhood of Kemang has long been known for its hip collection of F&B and nightlife hotspots, as well as the heavy traffic caused by the popularity of its offerings. One thing it is definitely not known for, however, is its accessibility to pedestrians
But that will change in the near future, according to government officials. With the goal of revitalizing the neighborhood, work has already begun on lengthening and widening Kemang’s sidewalks. Officials say they will go even further by banning all private vehicles, except those marked as being owned by Kemang resident, from entering the area.
“The only vehicles that will be allowed to enter will be the residents’ own cars and shuttle buses that will be prepared to transport people throughout the area. But outside vehicles cannot enter, except private vehicles belonging to residents,” Hari Nugara, head of Jakarta’s road management agency, said yesterday as quoted by Detik.
For visitors to Kemang, Hari said there would be parking spaces at the periphery of the neighborhood and a shuttle bus to transport them within.
Hari did not say exactly when the private vehicle ban would be implemented but said it would come after the work on improving Kemang’s sidewalks was complete. And it seems like a fairly large project, with a total of 7.5 km of the Kemang’s sidewalks set to be revitalized and widened from their current width of 1-1.5 meters to 3-meters wide.
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said that Kemang’s sidewalk improvement project should be completed within the year.
https://www.facebook.com/182838371753157/posts/2132649833438658?sfns=mo
As one of the few places in Jakarta with a high enough density of bars to justify a pub crawl, we’re all about making Kemang more accessible and comfortable for pedestrians. But do you think that banning private vehicles is the right approach? Let us know in the comments!
