The Fate of Pedestrians in Jakarta, Indonesia

Some years ago, 11 pedestrians died because of car accident. The car who is driven by Afianty--a young woman--hit eleven pedestrians who were walking on the sidewalk, Tugu Tani area, Central Jakarta, Indonesia. The case showed us how the pedestrians did not save too. Jakarta is a metropolitan city which many problems occur here, included high traffic jam, even car accident. The case of Afianty is the one case, because there are many others case which happen in Jakarta, especially for pedestrians.

Detik.com upload a news about a pedestrian who get abusive words from the biker because the biker hit him in sidewalk. The biker was angry whereas the accident occur on the sidewalk. It is irony. How come the biker who is angry, whereas the pedestrian walks on the sidewalk? Is the pedestrian right?

In Jakarta, it becomes a habit when the bikers ride their motorcycle on the sidewalk. I'm sure that Jakarta's government has many efforts to give some good facilitates for the people, like a sidewalk, public transportation, and so on. Yet, the people oftentimes negotiate what the given of government. The simplest example is sidewalk's function. In Jakarta, the sidewalk normally becomes a place for selling something, riding a motorcycle, parking, even placing of pet, like cow. Is it interested, right? The phenomena can be seen in pictures below.

The biker was riding her motorcycle on the sidewalk

The generic is sidewalk for pedestrians, but here sidewalk can be anything. The people negotiate how can maximized the empty space around the crowded space in Jakarta. Therefore, they are able to sell something or to bike their motorcycle when traffic jam on the sidewalk. I think, it is their way to adapt the new system.

However, some people think that the sidewalk's functions have to restore. Therefore, some people make a community which wanna restore the function of sidewalk for pedestrians' right. For the first time, they make the community in Facebook and Twitter, the name is "Gerakan Koalisi Pejalan Kaki" or Pedestrians' Coalition Movements. Then, they demonstrate on the sidewalk to give awareness for the bikers. On the others side, government try to put some iron barrier on the sidewalk which purpose the bikers can not pass the barrier.

Gerakan Koalisi Pejalan Kaki demonstrate to give awareness about pedestrians' right to the bikers.

I think, all of the efforts restore the function of sidewalk, but, I'm sure, the people of Jakarta always find the new way for negotiating the new system, whatever it is. Let's see, the sidewalks in Jakarta only have a little probability to get their mainly function for the pedestrians. It can be concluded that the fate of pedestrians in Jakarta never change well if the people are not awareness about the pedestrians' right.

Source of picture:

Picture 1: http://jakartapedestrian.wordpress.com/

Picture 2: http://www.radarlampung.co.id/read/radar/berita-foto/69867-kegigihan-gerakan-koalisi-pejalan-kaki-kembalikan-hak-pedestrian-di-jalan

*This article also was published in http://aquantumcityjakarta.wordpress.com/2014/06/26/the-fate-of-pedestrians-in-jakarta-indonesia/ for the result of Quantum City Jakarta Workshop, in University of Indonesia, 23 until 26 June 2014