TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - South Jakarta City Council has approved the proposal to add more dedicated bicycle lanes in its area aspart of its endeavors to reduce congestion and air pollution in the capital.

"I think this is a good idea, we're enabling bikes to be used a viable alternative means of getting around, which also reduces congestion and pollution," said the deputy chairman of South Jakarta City Council Yusuf Sahid, on Friday, October 3, 2014.

Yusuf said that if the central and local governments are committed to solving Jakarta's traffic congestion and air pollution issues, they need to move towards making bicycles a safe and comfortable method of transportation.

That said, more infrastructures still need to be built to support the idea. Aside from dedicated bike lanes, information about the policy needs to be disseminated among residents. Other supporting infrastructures need to be built as well, such as public bike locks and dedicated bike parking spots.

"Bike storage and parking facilities at office spaces and malls are still lacking, and these need to be built to support our goals," said Yusuf.

He added that traffic officers would also need to watch out for the safety of cyclists on the road, an issue that is almost always left unheeded by authorities.

"Perhaps we'll need to install barriers so motorized vehicles cannot enter the dedicated bike lanes," added Yusuf.

ANTARA