Anies Baswedan Says 500km Bike Lane Project Likely Be Delayed
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5 November 2020 12:23 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan predicted that the plan to construct 500-kilometer bike lanes across the capital would be delayed. The allocation of the city’s budget was still focused on the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and floods.
“We want to first mitigate the Covid-19,” said Anies in Rajawali Tower, South Jakarta, Thursday, November 5, 2020.
The Jakarta Regional Budget was quite contracted due to the pandemic so that the local government reallocated them to priority programs such as Covid-19 and flood mitigation. “The priority is Covid-19 mitigation, but we will see if there is still a budget for that [bike lanes],” Anies added.
The city government had built 63 kilometers of bicycle lanes. According to the education and culture minister, the number of two-wheeled vehicles significantly jumped during the pandemic. Bicycles are even considered as an alternative, eco-friendly transportation for Jakartans.
“We have seen people riding a bike as a means of transport,” said Anies Baswedan, hoping that people would no longer deem it for only exercising.
Jakarta administration promised to continue building bicycle infrastructures in the capital gradually in order to provide a sense of safety and convenience for bike riders.
Also Read: Cyclists Rejoice, Govt in Talks to Build Dedicated Bike Lane
IMAM HAMDI
