Skybridge, the Solution to Tanah Abang`s Persistent Congestion

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - For residents of Tanah Abang, located in Central Jakarta, the place has become an undisputed icon, as it is the location for the sale and purchase of the largest textile industry in Southeast Asia.

Usually, traders, who have sufficient to live in Tanah Abang, come from Sumatra Island, for instance, West Sumatra, as the province, known to have the world`s best food rendang, runs the trade sector in the field of clothing.

Tanah Abang is oftentimes synonymous with traffic jams.

Unable to be dismissed, the sellers and traders in Tanah Abang have become a scourge for the Jakarta Provincial Government, as the capital of the Republic of Indonesia, owing to the congestion experienced by the people of Jakarta everyday.

The Jakarta provincial government achieved a new breakthrough in 2018 by building the Tanah Abang Multipurpose Bridge (JPM), or more commonly referred to as the "skybridge."

The construction aimed to relocate street vendors, who earlier occupied the road, to the bridge, thereby reducing congestion in early August 2018.

Technically, construction of the JPM Tanah Abang development project was divided into zone A, zone B, zone C, and zone D, with a length of 100 meters.

Director of PD Pembangunan Sarana Jaya Yoory C. Pinontoan, as the contractor handling the JPM project, stated that the JPM helped to make the Tanah Abang area more organized, so there were no further congestion points due to the street vendors.

"The JPM is expected to reduce congestion, so we are here to interact with the ladies and gentlemen," Pinontoan told the street vendors while disseminating information at the Kampung Bali Tanah Abang District Office in Central Jakarta.

Read also: Street Vendors Start to Occupy Skybridge, Pay Rp500,000 for Rent 

The JPM Kiosk is prioritized to be filled by residents of DKI Jakarta. Data collected by the RW management will be re-recorded by the Tanah Abang District and Kampung Bali Village.

Construction continued without any significant constraints after awareness raised by PD Pembangunan Sarana Jaya on development with the installation of steel frame sets.

The material development framework of JPM Tanah Abang is already 80 percent complete in two factories in Tangerang, specifically, PT. Nikko steel, which is located at Jalan Panongan Number 3 and PT. Spanbentondek Admara, situated on Jalan Raya Serang. The "knock down" system has been deployed.

Based on the smoothness of the contractor in building JPM, several parties are optimistic that JPM will operate on time according to the initial target, on October 15, 2018.

Unfortunately, the earlier set target was not achieved in line with expectations. Inauguration of the public transportation bridge in Jak Lingko continues to be prolonged.

Sooner the "skybridge" is completed, faster can the traffic jam in Tanah Abang be addressed and evaluated.

This is since JPM provides space for street vendors, who have been struggling to find land to sell their merchandise, especially while dealing with thugs, who set steep rental prices.

In essence, connecting bridges, such as those in Tanah Abang, function to offer connectivity to humans and not to provide a place for street vendors to sell.

However, the arrangement of street vendors at JPM is not viewed as posing a problem while not discounting the main function of the bridge, Chairman of the Pedestrian Coalition Alfred Sitorus pointed out.

Sitorus affirmed that bridges need to be integrated with modes of public transport, so that people can witness the benefits directly.

"Tanah Abang Skybridge is said to be beneficial, if it is directly integrated with other means of public transportation," he stated.

The suggestion seemed to catch the attention of the Jakarta Provincial Government that is apparent from the integration of the Skybridge with Tanah Abang Station, construction of a Transjakarta bus stop, and provision of micro buses in the trading area.

Owing to obstacles faced in the agreement between the Government of Jakarta and PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) related to supporting social facilities for the convenience of users of the skybridge, the inauguration of the skybridge also experienced a delay.

This was disclosed by Daop 1 Jakarta Public Relations Senior Relations Officer (KAI) Edy Kuswoyo, who said that demand for the construction of the facility was based on the number of passengers in Tanah Abang Station that reached 130 thousand per day, and the station was a public service that was required to meet the needs arising as a result of the connectivity of the two functions.

Moreover, the number of gate tapping stations requested by PT KAI requires considerable calculation, as there are usually seven total gate tapping stations, while for Tanah Abang Station, which is integrated with the Skybridge, there must be 13 gate tapping stations for the smooth flow of train service users every day.

Fortunately, the constraints were not faced for too long, and PD Pembangunan Sarana Jaya immediately provided two portable toilets, and 13 gate tapping stations were readied.