Shoveled: Garuda Boss Fired for Smuggling Harley Davidson Bike and Brompton Bicycles

Jakarta Globe, NUR YASMIN, December 5, 2019

The disassembled parts of a smuggled Harley Davidson Shovelhead are shown 

by customs officials in Jakarta on Thursday. (B1 TV Photo)

Jakarta. Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia's president director I Gusti Ngurah Ashkara is soon to be fired for allegedly smuggling a Harley Davidson motorcycle and two Brompton bicycles, State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir said on Thursday.

The items were smuggled inside Garuda's brand new Airbus A330-900 Neo being delivered from its factory in Toulouse, France, in mid-November.

There were 22 passengers on the plane and four of them were Garuda directors: the president director, better known as Ari Ashkara, technical and services director Iwan Joeniarto, cargo and business development director Mohammas Iqbal and human resources director Heri Akhyar.

"As the SOE Minister, I will dismiss the Garuda president director. We will not stop there; we will look for other people who might have been involved in this case as well," Erick told a press conference in Jakarta.

The used Harley Davidson motorcycle had been disassembled prior to delivery and smuggled as parts. Customs officials found them wrapped in 15 boxes inside the plane's cargo area.

The Brompton bikes and accessories were found in three other boxes.

Erick said an audit by the customs office showed the smuggled items belonged to the president director, despite the baggage claim tags carrying different names.

Ari had instructed his subordinates to find him a classic Harley Davidson Shovelhead from the 1970s.

The used motorcycle was purchased in April 2019 with the help of a Garuda finance manager in Amsterdam.

"It's really sad that this [personal] transaction had to drag down an SOE," Erick said.

The Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhur Binsar Pandjaitan said during a visit to Tongxiang, China, on Thursday that he fully supported Erick's decision.

"[An act like] this will hurt our investment climate," he said.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati meanwhile said smuggling the Harley and the Bromptons had cost the country up to Rp 1.5 billion ($107,000) in unpaid taxes.

"The Harley bike is valued at Rp 800 million and the Brompton bicycles cost Rp 50-60 million each," Sri Mulyani said.

"Everyone should always obey existing regulations," she told reporters.

Electric motorcycles ride to rescue in fuel-short Cuba

Yahoo – AFP, Carlos BATISTA, November 8, 2019

Electric motorcycle riders have come to the rescue of Cuban passengers
delayed by fuel shortages (AFP Photo/YAMIL LAGE)

Havana (AFP) - It is rush hour in Havana and the queue at the bus stop is longer than ever. Then a fleet of electric motorcycles appears, beeping their horns.

Surprised and relieved, passengers jump on the backs of the 50 or so electric mopeds.

It is a new solution for Cubans struggling with fuel shortages driven by US sanctions that have curbed oil imports.

Cuba has long been known for the classic American cars that people here lovingly maintain decades after they stopped being built.

But urban transport on the communist island is evolving.

The bikes' horns beep and some of the riders play reggaeton music -- but, being electric, their motors make hardly any noise.

A Chinese-made electric motorcycle costs between $1,800 and $2,300 in Cuba. A basic petrol-powered bike on the island can cost up to six times that.

Authorities estimate there are 210,000 electric motorcyles in use in Cuba 

(AFP Photo/YAMIL LAGE)

Volunteer riders

The electric bikes -- with a maximum speed of about 50 kilometers (30 miles) per hour -- were first licensed for import in 2013.

They have multiplied in the streets since then -- and have come into their own with the recent fuel shortages.

"I really like this initiative, it helps a lot with the economy," says passenger Yanet Figueroa, 42, sitting on the back of one of the bikes.

"It really helps people who have great need of it."

Cuba plunged into a fuel crisis in September after Washington imposed restrictions on fuel shipments from Cuba's top ally Venezuela.

Cuba had to make do in September with just 30 percent of its usual fuel supply and the level has still not recovered -- it is forecast to reach no more than 80 percent this month.

With the public transport network badly hit, President Miguel Diaz-Canel has called on drivers to pick up passengers voluntarily.

The owners of electric bikes known as "motorinas" answered the call.

"We have volunteered to do this as a service to society," says one of the drivers, Javier Capote, 33.

"It is going very well. We are very happy about it."

The president himself during a televised address mentioned "those famous... what do you call them, the bikes? The 'motorinas', that have come out to help."

Mechanics have work to do servicing Cuba's fleet of electric motorcycles

(AFP Photo/YAMIL LAGE)

Electric bike era

Cuban authorities estimate there are 210,000 electric motorcycles currently in use on the island.

That figure is expected to rise as the government in late October began to sell them with the price capped at $1,700.

Those who make a living servicing the bikes are pleased by that move as it will bring down costs.

"It seems like a very good idea to us mechanics," says one, Enrique Alfonso, 47, in his workshop.

He recalls the economic crisis of the 1990s that followed the end of cheap imports from the Soviet Union.

"That was the era of (affordable) Chinese bicycles. Now we are in the era of electric motorcycles," he says.

"With everything that is going on the country, they have become obtainable for a lot of people."

Members of the Electric Motorcycles of Cuba club ride passengers home

(AFP Photo/YAMIL LAGE)

Accidents

The electric bikes had a mixed reception at first. Silent and often inexpertly ridden, they are often involved in accidents in a country that already suffers from thousands of crashes a year.

Officials say that of the 7,000 road accidents recorded so far this year, a third have involved electric motorcycles.

Authorities have responded by insisting riders have a license and register their vehicles.

The flourishing of electric bikes follows several years of gradual opening-up of Cuba's state-run economy. It has also coincided with a digital mini-revolution.

Thanks to the availability of 3G-standard internet connections since last year, riders can network more easily.

The 3G connections helped spawn the Electric Motorbikes of Cuba online group, a club with more than 80 members.

It started out as a club for enthusiasts seeking to have "healthy fun and share the passion we all have for electric motorcycles and road safety," says its president Osdany Fleites, a 37-year-old taxi driver.

"The motorcycles do not pollute the environment, they do not make a noise," he says.

Now the club has evolved to have an environmental and "social purpose."

Along with another club, Eracing, its members take part in rescuing bus passengers stuck due to the fuel shortages.

They have also taken part in environmental clean-up jobs, helping eradicate an infestation of troublesome giant snails in Havana, donated blood and visited children in a cancer ward.

VIDEO: 🇨🇺 Electric motorcycles are providing a new solution for #Cubans struggling with fuel shortages driven by US sanctions that have curbed oil imports https://t.co/VhwAuWCCIS pic.twitter.com/9fAmyc0W57

— AFP news agency (@AFP) 8 november 2019

Women motorcyclists ditch the side saddle in Pakistan

Yahoo – AFP, May 14, 2018

It is not uncommon to see women on motorcycles in Pakistan -- but usually they are
perched in the dangerous side saddle position behind a male driver (AFP Photo/ARIF ALI)

Perched proudly on their brand new pink motorcycles, the recruits take to the road, the latest batch of women to demolish boundaries set for them by men in Pakistan.

It is not uncommon to see women on motorcycles in Pakistan -- but usually they are sat in the dangerous side-saddle position behind a male driver and, often, several other passengers.

A woman straddling a bike to drive it herself is another thing entirely, an image that is still taboo in many parts of the deeply conservative Muslim country, where gender discrimination is routine.

But as part of a wave of women's empowerment movements, the government of Punjab province is running "Women on Wheels", a campaign that has trained scores of women to ride motorbikes in the last two years while raising awareness of gender-based violence and street harassment.

On Sunday the latest batch of dozens of new riders set out to challenge perceptions 

in Lahore (AFP Photo/ARIF ALI)

The importance of the issue is underscored by recent studies showing that some 75 percent of Pakistani women do not participate in the labour market, mainly due to a lack of transport.

"The aim is to basically empower women for their mobility because economic independence and economic empowerment depends on mobility," Salman Sufi, director general of the Punjab strategic reforms unit, said.

"So we are giving 3,000 bikes, we have trained over 3,500 girls in all of Punjab and this is going to go on until we reach a target of around 10,000 plus."

On Sunday the latest batch of dozens of new riders set out to challenge perceptions in Lahore.

"We're becoming... independent," rider Nageena Waseem said, adding that their new skills will allow them to do "everything which we want. Otherwise we were dependent on another person."

Activist Nighat Dad said the women were "reclaiming these spaces", adding that it was a "big big win for women today".

"Today is a good day for us," agreed another rider, Tallat Shaheen. "The purpose (is) to bring these girls together... (so) that they be independent and can feel confident and can go and work alongside men."

Women motorcyclists are ditching the side saddle in Pakistan, choosing instead to drive themselves in the deeply conservative county where doing so is often taboo https://t.co/Nz5bosz6K0 pic.twitter.com/vbGSdL0MP9

— AFP news agency (@AFP) May 14, 2018

Ride-hailing apps run Indonesian tuk-tuks off road

Yahoo - AFP, Mackenzie Smith, March 25, 2018

Ride-hailing apps like the Grab motorcyle-taxi seen here are denting the fortunes
of traditional three-wheeled bajaj taxis in Indonesia (AFP Photo/BAY ISMOYO)

Auto-rickshaw driver Zainuddin used to make decent money navigating Jakarta's congested roads and narrow alleyways.

But now US-based Uber, Google-backed Go-Jek and Singapore's Grab are locked in a race for ride-hailing app supremacy in Southeast Asia's biggest economy, denting the fortunes of traditional three-wheeled bajaj taxis that once ruled Indonesia's roads.

"Our income has fallen between 70 and 80 percent since ride-hailing apps came on the scene," said Zainuddin, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

There were some 14,000 bajaj on Indonesia's roads by 2015, according to the latest official figures.

By contrast, Go-Jek alone claims 900,000 drivers and some 15 million weekly active users. It launched in 2010.

Google and Singapore's sovereign wealth fund Temasek have announced investments in Go-Jek, which has been valued at as much as $5 billion although it's little known outside Asia.

Southeast Asia's ride-hailing market more than doubled in two years to some $5 billion in 2017 and it's expected to reach $20 billion by 2025, with Indonesia set to account for some 40 percent of it, according to research done by Google and Temasek.

Go-Jek, which also reportedly won funding from Chinese internet giant Tencent, has said it is mulling an initial public offering as it looks to grow in Indonesia and beyond.

That could inflate its army of motorcycle taxis, private cars and other services -- from massage and house cleaning to grocery shopping and package deliveries -- all available at users' fingertips.

Dragging behind its regional rivals, Uber is reportedly selling parts of its Southeast Asian operations to rival Grab in exchange for a stake in the Singaporean company.

No more haggling

The ride-hailing trio offer fixed-price rides that take haggling out of the equation, a welcome change for former bajaj customer Tetty Iskandar.

"I haven't taken a bajaj in years," said the 35-year-old housewife, who used to ride the three-wheelers to go grocery shopping.

"You had to bargain with the drivers to get cheap fares. And you would already have done bargaining a lot in the market. Sometimes I felt so tired and just wanted to get home."

The vast archipelago of some 260 million people has a relatively low per-capita car ownership rate.

For some, sitting in a tuk-tuk as it teeters and rumbles over Jakarta's roads offers

a connection to an older way of life (AFP Photo/BAY ISMOYO)

And vehicle owners often choose to leave their ride at home, opting instead for a fixed-price motorcycle that can zip through Jakarta's epic traffic congestion -- at a bargain-basement prices.

That is threatening bajaj -- not to mention regular cabs and ubiquitous motorbike taxis known as ojek -- which arrived in Indonesia during the 1970s.

The motorised rickshaw quickly made inroads under its namesake company, which hailed from India.

The name bajaj is now inked into Jakarta's lexicon after supplanting traditional bicycle taxis.

A distinctive blue model of the vehicle is still a common sight and while pollution-spewing older models are outlawed, some still ply the narrow alleyways of Indonesia's sprawling capital.

Government efforts to reduce traffic snarls by reintroducing bicycle taxis could further chip away at the market share of bajaj, which cannot operate on highways and certain busy streets.

'Nostalgic feeling'

Still, bajaj backers point out that the little tuk-tuks are safer than motorcycles which have higher injury and fatality rates.

"They are still a very useful means of transport when you have to go through small alleys and roads in Jakarta," said Danang Parikesit, president of the think tank Indonesia Transportation Society.

For some, sitting in a tuk-tuk as it teeters and rumbles over Jakarta's roads offers a connection to an older way of life.

"Riding bajaj has a unique sensation, a nostalgic feeling," said faithful customer Budiyanto.

In central Jakarta, bajaj line a curb, their drivers smoking or sleeping as swarms of motorbike drivers sporting Go-Jek or Grab windbreakers zip by on their way to collect customers.

Even if they wanted to switch to ride-hailing apps, it's too late for some older drivers.

"I cannot shift to an app-based motorcycle taxi because of my age," said driver Sutardi.

"Companies require that their drivers not be over 60."

Despite the threat of technology, some insist bajaj have a future, especially among customers who don't want to get soaked on the back of a motorbike or while waiting for a hired car during the months-long rainy season.

"Customers don't like to get wet," tuk-tuk driver Zainuddin said.

"It's not good for people when the rain comes, but bajaj drivers will be happy."

VIDEO: Auto-rickshaw drivers used to make decent money navigating Jakarta's congested roads and narrow alleyways. But now US-based Uber, Google-backed Go-Jek and Singapore's Grab are locked in a race for ride-hailing app supremacy in Southeast Asia's biggest economy pic.twitter.com/K0JkBB9GDZ

— AFP news agency (@AFP) March 25, 2018

Indonesia's Muslim women hail female-only motorbike taxis

Yahoo – AFP, Olivia Rondonuwu, December 30, 2015

Several motorbike taxi services with women drivers entered the Indonesian
 market in 2015 after years of growing piety in the country (AFP Photo/Bay Ismoyo)

Female motorbike taxi drivers in headscarves zig-zag through heavy traffic in the Indonesian capital Jakarta, the latest two-wheeled transport service for women making a dent in the male-dominated world of ride-hailing apps in the Muslim nation.

A flurry of new motorbike taxi options have in the past year appeared in the metropolis of 10 million, led by popular service Go-Jek, giving Indonesia's growing middle class a greater choice of transport to get through some of the world's worst traffic jams.

The services -- many inspired by ride-sharing app Uber and accessible on smartphones -- are a challenge to traditional motorbike taxis in Indonesia, known as "ojeks", which are ubiquitous but have drawn criticism with their dishevelled, dangerous drivers and unpredictable pricing.

Several services with women drivers entered the market in 2015 after years of growing piety in Indonesia, which has the world's biggest Muslim population, and amid heightened safety concerns following reports of attacks on women by male motorbike taxi drivers.

They are in part designed with religious sensitivities in mind, as an increasing number of Muslim women wear headscarves and follow strict interpretations of Islam that forbid close contact with the opposite sex, except between married couples.

"The need for transportation for women is huge, especially in big cities where rates of crime and sexual harassment are very high," Evilita Adriani, co-founder of motorbike taxi company Ojek Syari, told AFP.

Only Muslim drivers

Popularly known by its nickname "Ojesy", it is the service that aims most clearly at devout female passengers, requiring its drivers to be Muslim women wearing headscarves and loose-fitting clothes.

Ojesy drivers can currently only be hailed by a phone call or through mobile messaging service WhatsApp, but the service is also developing an app that was being tested out this month.

The service, which began in Indonesia's second-biggest city Surabaya in March before expanding across the main island of Java, only accepts female passengers or children.

"I feel more comfortable sharing a ride with a fellow Muslim woman," said Nurlaila, a Surabaya housewife who goes by one name.

She uses the service to take her children to school -- a common practice in the country where whole families often travel squashed together on a motorbike.

"Thank God for Ojesy."

The company says business is booming -- after starting in March with Adriani as its only driver, it now has 350 drivers.

Other motorbike taxi companies vying for a stake in the female market include app-based service LadyJek, whose drivers dress in pink jackets and helmets, and Sister-Ojek, a start-up that began operations earlier this year with capital of just $100.

Indonesia stands out for the number of motorbike taxi services aimed at women that it boasts, with female drivers relatively rare in many developing nations where the mode of transport is popular.

But they do exist in some other countries, including in Liberia where a group of female drivers, sick of being robbed, took to the wheel, reportedly donning pink helmets and jackets and calling themselves "The Pink Panthers".

The trend for motorbike taxi-hailing services started in earnest last year with Go-Jek in Jakarta, a general service for anyone wishing to order a motorbike ride, which was quickly followed by others such as GrabBike and Blu-jek.

Tough security measures

The women-only services are slightly more expensive than others, but insist they have better security measures.

Calls have been growing for heightened security after reports of women being stalked and harassed by male motorbike taxi drivers, while the rape of a young woman in India by an Uber driver last year also added to safety concerns about ride-hailing services.

LadyJek drivers can activate a loud alarm if they are attacked or feel threatened, while Ojesy and Sister-Ojek only operate between sunrise and sunset.

However the services are unlikely to overtake major competitors like Go-Jek as many women in Indonesia, where the majority practise a moderate form of Islam, have few qualms about taking a motorbike taxi driven by a man.

The services also try to make themselves attractive to drivers, with Ojesy allowing Muslim housewives and university students to work part-time.

Councils to get green light to ban mopeds from bike lanes

DutchNews, November 17, 2015

Transport minister Melanie Schultz is to press ahead with measures which will allow local councils to ban slower types of motorbike from cycle lanes. 

Moped users will also have to wear helmets because they will share the road with vehicles travelling at much greater speeds, the minister said in a briefing to MPs. 

Amsterdam and several other cities have been pressuring the minister to give them more leeway to keep mopeds away from bikes in an effort to improve cyclists’ safety. 

‘This is good news for Amsterdam,’ a council spokesman said. ‘We will be briefing the full council on the implications and next steps as soon as we can.’ 

In Amsterdam, almost half of the people killed in traffic accidents in 2013 were driving a moped. In 2012, moped drivers were involved in 689 accidents, most of which took place on cycle lanes, the Parool said last year. 

Mopeds are not supposed to travel faster than 25 kph but according to some estimates, up to 70% break this limit. It will take about six months before the measure becomes law, news agency ANP says.

Miracle motorbike that goes 500km… on a liter of water! (VIDEO)

RT.com, 25 Jul, 2015

A Brazilian man, Ricardo Azevedo from Sao Paulo, has shown off his wonder bike to the world. The magic machine can travel up to 500 kilometers on a liter of water.

The so-called “T Power H20” vehicle is powered by water and an external car battery to produce electricity and split the hydrogen from the water molecules.

As a result, combustion is created giving the motorbike the impetus to move.

READ MORE: World has 10 years to combat climate change, prevent health catastrophe – scientists  

In the video, Azevedo first drinks from the bottle, proving that it’s indeed water and not some kind of other fuel. Then he fills the canister and rides off. 

Azevedo also demonstrates how the bike works. The inventor shows that even polluted waters from the Tiete River can be used to fuel the vehicle.

READ MORE: Bioengineers invent engine powered by water vapor, artificial muscles 

The Brazilian is promoting his creation as an environment-friendly machine. 

“The advantage of this motorcycle, which works with the hydrogen that comes from the water, is that the result that comes out of the exhaust is water vapor. This is different from gasoline, which [produces] carbon monoxide," he told RT.

Related Article:

Toyota to give away fuel-cell patents to boost industry

GrabTaxi Enters Jakarta’s Motorcycle Taxi Service Market

Jakarta Globe, Vanesha Manuturi, May 20, 2015

Malaysia's GrabTaxi adds motorcycle jockeys to its line of services in Jakarta
 on Wednesday, as part of an expansion to cater to Indonesia's rapidly growing
urbani population. (Antara Photo/ Zabur Karuru)

Jakarta. Malaysia’s GrabTaxi is adding motorcycle jockeys to its services in Jakarta on Wednesday, as part of an expansion to cater to Indonesia’s rapidly growing urban population.

The Kuala Lumpur-based startup, which connects taxi drivers with customers through a smartphone application, rolled out the trial run of its “GrabBike” service starting Wednesday. The service focuses solely on motorcycle taxis, better known as ojek, according to a statement on Wednesday.

“GrabTaxi is strongly committed to create a safe and efficient transportation system in Southeast Asia. Ojek is a very popular mode of transportation in Indonesia, so [our entry] was only a matter of time,” Cheryl Goh, vice president of marketing at GrabTaxi Holding Group, said in a statement.

Under the trial version, the pickup service is currently limited to the business districts of South Jakarta – Kuningan and Setiabudi – although delivery or courier services will be available across the capital city in the future, according to the statement.

Jakarta is the third city where GrabTaxi is rolling out its GrabBike service, after Ho Ci Minh City and Hanoi in Vietnam last year.

GrabTaxi’s GrabBike service will be competing head to head with homegrown startup Go-jek, which has connected ojek drivers to customers for services ranging from transportation to courier since 2010.

GrabTaxi entered Jakarta offering online taxi booking services last June. It has since expanded to Surabaya, East Java and Padang, West Sumatra.

First established in Kuala Lumpur three years ago, GrabTaxi boasts an application that has been downloaded more than 4.4 million times while more than 83,000 customers and drivers are using its services across Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam and Malaysia.

GlobeAsisa

Zero Motorcycles’ Electric Bikes to Hit Indonesia’s Roads Next Year

Jakarta Globe, Carla Isati Octama, Dec 08, 2014

A screen grab from Zero Motorcycles' website.

Jakarta. Garansindo Inter Global, the local distributor of Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler cars, will start selling Zero Motorcycles’ electric bikes made in the United States by June next year, marking its first step into Indonesia’s zero-emissions vehicle market.

The company also plans to assemble and sell the Vmoto, a cheap electric bike from Australia, in the second half of next year, Garansindo’s chief executive, Muhammad Al Abdullah, said on Monday.

“We are eyeing to market the electric motorcycle in 2015, because we see Indonesia is a growing market for this vehicle,” Abdullah said.

Santa Cruz-based Zero Motorcycles has been producing electric motornbikes, whose performance is on par with their internal combustion peers, since 2006. Zero SR, the company’s latest model, can travel up to 298 kilometers in the city and accelerate from standstill to 100 kilometers per hour in just 3.3 seconds.

Abdullah said the Zero bikes would sell for between Rp 170 million and Rp 200 million ($13,770 to $16,200) in Indonesia, a tag that limits the market to enthusiasts.

For the mass market, Garansindo will assemble and sell Vmoto in the second semester. Each will fetch around Rp 12 million, Abdullah said. That price would be competitive with the scooters that many Indonesians use daily.

“We plan in the future to produce [Vmoto] in Indonesia, but we will do it in stages, starting with [assembling] the completely knocked-down kits,” Abdullah said.

Panggah Susanto, the director general for high-tech manufacturing at the Industry Ministry, said government backed Garansindo’s plan to establish a domestic plant, but did not elaborate on the form such support might take.

Motorcycles are still the most popular mode of transport in Indonesia, with an estimated eight million new bikes expected to leave showroom floors this year.

Indonesian Poor to Receive Rp 14 Trillion in Aid Ahead of Fuel Hike

Jakarta Globe, Ezra Sihite, May 13, 2013

A street vendor sells fuel in a plastic containers in Samarinda,

 East Kalimantan on March 24, 2013. (Reuters Photo)

The Indonesian government is poised to distribute up to Rp 14 trillion ($1.4 billion) in aid to the poor ahead of the central government’s planned fuel price hike.

The central government is trying to ween Indonesian motorists off the nation’s costly fuel subsidies — which cost the state some Rp 211.9 trillion in 2012 and heavily favor middle class drivers. President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has issued instructions which require the government to simultaneously slash fuel subsidies and increase welfare spending.

This round of payouts will reach some 15.5 million households living on less than $2 a day, Coordinating Minister of Welfare Agung Laksono said. Additional spending in the form of school aid and subsidized rice will be handed out as the fuel subsidy cuts take effect, Agung explained.

The coordinating minister said the government must spend some of the savings on the nation’s poor.

“The potential budget savings [from subsidy cuts] is up to Rp 37 trillion,” he said. “It must be returned to the poor people through compensation programs and also infrastructure development.”

Previous efforts to raise the price of subsidized fuel sparked days of chaotic protests. The plan was scuttled by Golkar Party and Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) factions in the House as protests peaked in Jakarta.

Critics of the plan argue that higher fuel prices will hurt the poor by causing food prices to rise. But the government spends more on energy subsidies than it spends on either education or health care.

The government has floated raising the price of premium subsidized fuel from Rp 4,500 per liter to Rp 6,000. The price hike is expected to take effect next month.

W Java traffic accidents kill thousands

Antara News, Sunday, June 6, 2010 03:11 WIB

Bandung, W Java (ANTARA News) - West Java Province lost 4,098 people in traffic accidents last year. Eighty percent of them were in the productive ages, West Java Governor Ahmad Heryawan said.

"The West Java police reported that last year`s traffic accident death toll reached 4,098 people. Eighty percent of them were in productive ages," he said here Saturday.

Besides killing 4,098 people, the 2009 traffic accidents had also caused at least 3,000 others to get injured, he said.

Ironically, 75 percent of the traffic accident victims were motorists while the remaining 25 percent were car drivers, he said.

Governor Ahmad Heryawan said traffic accidents remained the biggest causes of death in the world.

More than 1.2 million people were killed on roads every year. Ninety percent happened in developing countries, he said.

In reducing the traffic accident cases in West Java, Heryawan asked the police to intensify the campaigns of their "police as children`s friend" program.

Through the program, children could have been educated about safe traffic from their early ages, he said.

Governor Ahmad Heryawan said creating highly-disciplined traffic users in his province and Indonesia was not only the government`s responsibility but also that of other stakeholders.

The children, who received the police`s socialization program, were expected to have safe traffic behavior when they became aduts, he said.

Police to guard 4 million bikers leaving Jakarta

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 09/08/2009 12:45 PM

The Jakarta Traffic Police plan to guard approximately 4 million motorcyclists leaving for their hometowns during Idul Fitri holidays, police said on Tuesday.

Jakarta Police traffic division chief Sr. Comr. Condro Kirono suggested that people planning to use motorcycle for the holidays should go in groups and report it to the police for a free guard.

"So far, we have received proposals from about 15,000 bikers groups," Condro said, adding that most of them are managed by their employers' companies.

"We have been gearing up 235 patrol vehicles to guard them until the border of the Greater Jakarta territory," he added.

Condro said that the police also provided four free vehicle service centers, located in Kedung Waringin (Bekasi), Grand Cakung (East Jakarta), Samsat Daan Mogot (West Jakarta), and Citra Raya (Tangerang).

At the service centers, Condro said, bikers are also provided with free resting places and a doctor to check the bikers' physical condition. (bbs)

One of a kind

The Jakarta Post | Thu, 04/02/2009 11:04 AM

A man rides a modified motorcycle Wednesday near the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta. The bike has been customized to accomodate a wheelchair at the back. (JP/J. Adiguna)

City, police discipline motorcyclists, public buses

Triwik Kurniasari, The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA | Thu, 04/02/2009 10:57 AM

The city police have ruled all motorcycles and public transportation vehicles must use the left lane or the slow lane of the capital’s main roads, in a bid to reduce traffic accidents and ease the abysmal congestion.

Traffic signs and road markers have been installed along several of the city’s busier roads, including Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Thamrin in Central Jakarta, Jl. Matraman, Jl. Perintis Kemerdekaan and Jl. D.I. Panjaitan in East Jakarta, Jl. S. Parman in West Jakarta, Jl. Yos Sudarso in North Jakarta and Jl. Ciputat Raya in South Jakarta.

“We decided to put traffic signs on the roads because traffic jams in these areas are really bad,” city traffic police chief Sr. Comr. Chondro Kirono told reporters Wednesday.

“We want to improve road users’ discipline in abiding by traffic regulations to ease the congestion.”

Chaotic traffic has long been a problem in the capital, with more than 6.7 million motorcycles packing the capital’s streets everyday.

Traffic police will also require motorcyclists to use standard helmets that fully protect their heads. Many riders currently use substandard helmets.

Police said motorcyclists were less disciplined than car drivers. In 2008, police recorded 5,898 accidents involving motorcycles, with 1,169 fatalities, 2,597 severe injuries and 4,317 minor injuries.

Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Wahyono said that last year police ticketed 272,495 motorcyclists.

Wahyono also blamed public transportation drivers for the majority of traffic accidents.

“Last year, we issued 111,396 tickets to public transportation drivers.”

Police also recorded 2,076 accidents involving these drivers.

Fathoni, a resident of Plumpang in North Jakarta, welcomed the discipline campaign.

“For me, it’s not a big deal if I have to ride in the slow lane,” he said.

“I’ve been trying to do that all along, after I was stopped and ticketed a few months ago by traffic police for riding in the fast lane.”

He added he would swap his substandard helmet for a proper one.

“I do have a standard helmet at home, but I prefer to use this smaller one for practical reasons,” he said.

Another motorcyclist, Mursid, objected.

“Why should they put us in the same lane as buses? [Public transportation drivers] often drive carelessly. They drop and pick passengers anywhere they please. It’s very annoying.”

The slow lane for motorcycles is not a new concept, having long been in force on main thoroughfares like Jl. Sudirman. But in practice, many motorcyclists still ride in the fast lane and go unpunished.

City official Sutanto Soehodho said the ruling would be effective only if passengers also took part in the drive.

“Most buses pick up and drop off passengers in the middle of the street because the passengers want them to,” he said.

“The [passengers] should also be more disciplined by getting on and off at bus stops. It’s for their own safety and comfort.”