More busway delays predicted

Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The city administration may delay the launch of services on three busway corridors currently being constructed until March.

It was first predicted the corridors would be fully operational by the end of the year.

City secretary Ritola Tasmaya said the delay was caused by several problems, including delays in the procurement of ticketing machines and buses.

"These delays were partly caused by the delayed disbursement of the city budget, meaning we had to readjust the procurement schedule," he said.

However, the head of the Jakarta Transportation Agency, Nurachman, said Tuesday the project was still on track and would be completed by its scheduled finish date.

"Dec. 15 was nominated as the deadline for these corridors to be finished by, not the day when busway services on these corridors would commence," he said.

Nurachman said it was likely busway services would commence on the three corridors by May.

He said delays may be encountered in the construction of the remaining four busway corridors, which were initially expected to be built next year.

The corridors currently under construction are corridor VIII, which will link Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta to Harmoni in Central Jakarta (19.6 kilometers), corridor IX linking Pinang Ranti in East Jakarta to Pluit in North Jakarta (45.6 km) and corridor X linking Cililitan in East Jakarta to Tanjung Priok in North Jakarta (37.8 km).

Jakarta Public Works Agency head Wisnu Subagya Yusuf said the three corridors were approximately 80 percent compete as of Nov. 16.

Nurachman said motorists would be permitted to use the three busway corridors until services were introduced.

"It is better to partly overcome traffic congestion by allowing people to use these lanes rather than leaving them empty," he said.

On Nov. 5 the administration announced motorists would be permitted to use certain sections of other busway corridors in the city for a month.

The decision was made to ease traffic congestion caused by the ongoing construction of the three new corridors.

The administration and Jakarta Police have deployed 5,000 personnel to implement the policy, known as the Jala Jaya traffic operation.

Police have so far fined 114 drivers for parking or stopping illegally during the operation.

Nine vehicles were seized and are currently being held at the police vehicle document center in Daan Mogot, West Jakarta.

The city police's head of traffic accidents, Adj. Comr. Irvan Prawira, said drivers of public busses who parked illegally on Jl. Letjen Suprapto in Central Jakarta made up the majority of people fined.

Police have also been deployed to the Jl. Sabang, Cideng, Pasar Baru and Sarinah areas in Central Jakarta, Jl. RE Martadinata and Jl. Yos Sudarso in North Jakarta, Jl. Otista Raya in East Jakarta and Jl. Melawai in South Jakarta as part of the operation. (adt)

Jambi to cooperate with JICA to improve river transportation

Jambi, Sumatra (ANTARA News) - The Jambi provincial transportation office in cooperation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is planning to implement a river transportation improvement program, a local official said.

River transportation improvement is one of the priorities in Jambi`s five-year development plan, Darma, the local official, said here on Tuesday.

The Batanghari River stretching 1,400 km long in Jambi is being used to transport people as well as goods such as oil palm and coal, he said.

Elevated roads shot down by experts

Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Critics said "more roads means more traffic" about Governor Fauzi Bowo's plan to expand driving space vertically, with elevated roadways stacked one above the other.

Experts say difficulty in purchasing land for new roads is behind the plan.

Andi Rahmah of the Indonesian Transportation Society said Monday the build-more-roads paradigm was obsolete.

"Five years ago, benefits from a new road would last a year. But with current traffic and the number of cars now, we enjoy the benefit of a new road for only a few weeks at the most."

"Expanding roads is not the answer by any means. It's only a temporary remedy for traffic problems."

For example, the Cikunir turnpike, which is part of the Jakarta Outer Ring Road, a toll road, was just as congested as other turnpikes one week after it commenced operation in late August, Andi said.

"Only investors and contractors will benefit from expanding road projects, while the people will suffer."

"The city administration must focus on developing the mass transportation system and limiting the use and ownership of private vehicles to overcome traffic congestion."

Jakarta has nearly 5.5 million cars, motorcycles, buses and trucks. On average, 269 private vehicles and 1235 motorcycles are purchased daily.

Jakarta roads, estimated to total 40 square kilometers, expand by less than 1 percent annually and can only accommodate 0.01 percent of all cars, according to City Public Works Agency head Wisnu Subagyo Yusuf.

According to Budi Kuntjoro, a project director at the Institute for Transportation Development and Policy, mass transportation is the key to solving traffic problems in big cities like Jakarta.

"There will never be enough roads to accommodate all the cars, even if they are continuously expanded."

Fauzi said he planned to build underground roads and stacked, elevated roads like those in Tokyo, Japan, that reach up to five levels.

He said such roads, would help ease traffic congestion all over the capital as they did in Tokyo, apart from overpasses and underpasses he planned to build next year.

The elevated roads to be built would be linked to the existing inner city toll road and connect West, Central and East Jakarta, said Fauzi.

The elevated road project will cost an estimated Rp 21 trillion (US$2.25 billion), according to Fauzi.

However, he is yet to reveal the timeline for the project.

A transportation expert at the University of Indonesia, Bambang Susantono, said that -- without doubt -- just building more roads was not a sustainable solution to chronic congestion in the capital.

On the other hand, he said, sustainability was possible if new roads were part of a complete transportation scheme, feeding into bus lines, subways, and other systems.

He said it was important for the governor to determine the location of exits on the planned roads, as new roads to the center of Jakarta might do more harm than good.

Infrastructure key to Mamuju's progress

Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar

Mamuju regency is the provincial capital of West Sulawesi, but poor infrastructure means isolation and poverty for people living there.

The regency's airport and port do not meet national standards while the number of roads and bridges is limited, leaving 45 percent of 8,000-square-kilometer Mamuju trailing behind other regencies in terms of development.

While rich in natural resources -- marine-based, mining, farming and forestry -- some 45 percent of the regency's population of 300,000 still live below the poverty line.

Mamuju Regent Suhardi Duka acknowledged that limited infrastructure, in particular a shortage of roads and bridges, was responsible for the high poverty rate in the regency.

He said poor infrastructure prevented village-dwellers in coastal and mountainous areas from selling their products.

Those regions -- reached only on foot or by horse after a journey of several days -- also suffered in terms of education and health care.

"We have determined to prioritize infrastructure development and improve accessibility, so people can leave their isolation," Suhardi told The Jakarta Post in Makassar, South Sulawesi. He said the regency had rich natural resources.

In the marine sector, fish and seaweed is at approximately 60,000 tons annually.

In agriculture, the regency has some 23,00 hectares of rice fields, 60,000 hectares of cacao and some 20,000 hectares under palm oil production, as well as corn and oranges.

In mining, Mamuju has untouched coal, iron and gold resources.

The regency also has some 500,000 hectares of forest -- both productive and protected.

However, poor infrastructure in the regency means that these resources can't be exploited, because residents aren't able to get their products to market.

For example, products marked for export must pass through Makassar, as Mamuju's port and airport are sub-standard.

The regency has allocated Rp 250 billion for a two-year road and bridge construction plan, to begin in 2007.

This year, the regency budget is Rp 450 billion, of which only Rp 14 billion derives from revenue. Low revenue is also blamed on poor infrastructure.

Apart from a lack of roads and bridges, many parts of the regency still don't have electricity.

Even in the city center, only 20 to 30 percent of residents are tied to the grid of state electricity company, Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN). The others are left in the dark.

"We still have to do many things to develop Mamuju, especially since it is a provincial capital.

"It might take five to eight years for the regency to catch up with development progress (elsewhere)," Suhardi said.

While working to improve infrastructure, the regency's administration is also trying to speed up human resource development.

Currently, the regency makes education -- from kindergarten to senior high school -- and health services -- from the community health centers up to grade three hospitals -- available free of charge.

"Better welfare, health services and education are three basic rights of residents that the government has to provide.

"Infrastructure development, as well as free education and health services should be done in an integrated way to reach the goals." -- JP

Petrol stations to provide natural gas

Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

State oil and gas company Pertamina, along with foreign competitors Petronas and Shell Indonesia, will soon supply compressed natural gas (CNG) to the public.

Jakarta Mineral and Mining Agency spokeswoman Peni Susanti said Friday it was part of their obligation to provide and operate CNG pumps at their existing gas stations in the future, although she did not set a deadline.

"Pertamina, Petronas and Shell signed an agreement with the city administration in September in which they promised to provide natural gas at their gas stations," she said at City Hall.

"The agreement is backed up by an existing city bylaw that requires them to install natural gas pumps and supply natural gas at every gas station they have," she added.

Speaking after a meeting with a number of city officials and Governor Fauzi Bowo, Peni said Pertamina would start supplying natural gas to the public in December in conjunction with the state firm's birthday.

Meanwhile, Petronas, Malaysian state oil and gas firm Petroliam Nasional Berhad, and Shell Indonesia, the local arm of Royal Dutch Shell Plc., will commence CNG provision next year, Peni said.

She said as a pilot project for the agreement, Pertamina's CNG would be available at its station on Jl. Pramuka, East Jakarta, Petronas's station on Jl. Pasar Minggu, South Jakarta, and Shell Indonesia's station on Jl. Gatot Subroto in South Jakarta.

Currently, out of existing 14 gas stations equipped with CNG pumps, only seven are operating, Peni said.

The city has a total of 264 gas stations.

Petronas, which is planning to build a total of 22 gas stations in Greater Jakarta, currently has two stations, while Shell has 10, also in Greater Jakarta.

Peni said both Petronas and Shell Indonesia were yet to specify the exact date of their initial CNG provision.

Most customers of CNG are Transjakarta buses and some bajaj. Prompted by worsening pollution, the city has encouraged more vehicles to use CNG, which is considered to be cleaner.

Flight safety remains our top priority: Mandala boss

The Jakarta Post

Early this month, a team of airline investigators from the European Union (EU) came to Jakarta for five days to conduct on-site observation in relation to the flight ban that applies to all Indonesian airlines flying to the region.

During their stay, the investigators did direct observation of airline regulators, state-owned Garuda Indonesia, Mandala Airlines and an air cargo service operator, Kargo Prami Air.

Although no final report has been made on the observation, second-hand feedback, such as comments from airline authorities, have been positive, saying that the investigators were "satisfied".

To gain more insight on the matter and other issues in the industry, The Jakarta Post's Andi Haswidi talked to Warwick Brady, president director of Mandala Airlines, which has successfully improved the safety standard of the airline.

How did the EU inspection go for Mandala?

I actually went to Brussels six weeks ago. I met the EU team there. I was asking how can Mandala get off this black list, and basically they were very helpful, very receptive.

When they were invited by the government to Indonesia, they spent a day with us, inspecting our airworthiness side and our flight operation side.

They didn't spent a lot of time here but they were very positive about the commitment of the current management team on what we have done and where we are going.

So, we know what the EU regulators are looking for. We know what it takes to run an international-standard airline because we have done it before. And that is the key difference between Mandala and all the other airlines.

The authorities here are known for their reactive approach to incidents. What is your comment on that?

I think the Directorate General for Aviation is coming under enormous pressure due to recent air crash incidents. But I have worked in a number of places in the world. Dealing with the directorate general is no different from dealing with the Irish regulator or English regulator or India.

They are the same type of people, same approach. Normal regulating stuff. I've seen the regulator here find massive improvement, since July.

It is not a push-over, I think they genuinely are working hard to be a good regulator. I'm sure, like Mandala, they have some improvement to be made, but I think they are on the correct path. Working with them has been positive.

Moreover, Indonesia is a difficult environment, say in terms of weather. Southeast Asia is definitely not like flying in Spain. You don't have developed airports like they have in Europe and the U.S.

The airline authority recently boosted Mandala to the first category in safety. How do you see this?

Safety is such a big thing here. In most countries, safety goes without saying. So when you talk to the media, nobody says are you safe or what is happening in safety. Whereas here, there is a safety record.

In the last 18 months everyone talks about safety. We are now on the second part of IOSA, which is very serious not only in making the operation safe, but also an international benchmark that we can tell everybody about.

There are a bunch of things you need to do to get to category one. And we put a lot of effort and resources into meeting those criteria.

In terms of budget, we invested over US$1 million dollars, just in recent safety systems. Among others is the Air Face system, which is a flight monitoring system. It basically logs every single flight. If a pilot is doing high energy approaches, exceeding flap speed or exceeding altitudes, we can monitor that, so the next day you do a corrective action and talk to the pilot.

We now have the Singapore Airlines Engineering Company looking after and managing our Airbusses. And when you buy Airbus you get services like training for pilots, engineering and so on. We train all our engineers once per month.

So. when you walk into Mandala, it's like walking into a European airline, those sort of foundations being laid.

You started at Mandala in July. How is the structuring process so far?

The first part of the restructuring is to get a new management on board. We are the only Indonesian airline that is run by industry professionals from all around the world.

There is no other airline here with expatriates at the top management and operational team level.

The concept of our team is that we want to put together industry veterans with Indonesian talent. So we have Indonesian talent primarily focused on the commercial side of the business, which we think is imperative.

Since the start of my career I have always been involved in safety management systems. I have had a lot of success in turning operations into first class operations, including the safety side.

For example, in India, we had a small airline called Air Deccan, which at that time had 10 airplanes, when I arrived. When I left there were 45 planes. This is one of the best known airlines in the industry.

On the airplane restructuring, we basically replaced the Boeing 737s with Airbuses. So far we have 12 planes in operation, six Boeings and six Airbusses, and we are waiting for 24 more Airbusses in the future.

City explores ERP traffic system

Mustaqim Adammrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakarta is being urged to follow the lead of cities like London, Stockholm and Singapore in introducing an electronic road pricing (ERP) system to ease chronic traffic congestion.

Budi Kuntjoro of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) and Darmaningtyas of the Transportation Institute (Intrans) said an ERP system would be effective in reducing Jakarta's notorious traffic.

Budi, a transportation expert and the project director at the ITDP, praised administration plans to introduce ERP.

"It's time for the administration to work on reducing traffic chaos by limiting and controlling the use of private vehicles instead of expanding the roads.

"There will never be enough roads to accommodate all the cars, even if they are continuously expanded," he said.

The city administration is making other, largely unsuccessful, attempts to ease traffic, including opening busway lanes to motorists during peak travel times.

On Tuesday, the second day motorists were allowed onto busway lanes, there was little visible difference in the traffic.

Erlangga Rismantojo, who drove along Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said through to Jl. Mampang in South Jakarta, said traffic was just as bad despite the new policy.

Budi said ERP was one solution for dealing with chronic traffic congestion and preventing the capital from coming to total gridlock by 2014.

Under the ERP system, motorists would be charged for using Jakarta's main thoroughfares.

Private vehicles account for 98 percent of all vehicles on the capital's roads, but they only transport half of all passengers, said Budi.

Darmaningtyas agreed Jakarta needed ERP, however, he questioned whether now was the right time to introduce the system.

"I believe the administration will eventually be able to implement the system, but not in a rush," he said.

He said implementing ERP would take time because the administration needed to lobby the Finance Ministry to issue the necessary regulations that would allow it to collect fees from motorists.

"On top of that, the administration will need a great deal of money," he said.

Singapore, he said, required at least Rp 6 trillion (US$654 million) for the procurement, preparation and operation of its ERP system.

Jakarta Transportation Agency deputy head Udar Pristono said the agency would complete its feasibility study for the ERP system by the end of this year, which is itself expected to cost Rp 1 trillion, Warta Kota newspaper reported Tuesday.

Darmaningtyas said the administration should first focus on optimizing the operations of all 10 busway corridors, including the three still under construction, before moving to the ERP project.

Sharing Darmaningtyas' opinion, the deputy chairman of the City Council's Commission D on development, Mukhayar, said the right time for the administration to implement the ERP system "is when all public transportation modes are giving good and decent service".

"The right time also depends on the availability of mass rapid transportation modes," he said.

The ERP system, he said, can only be applied on roads where "decent" public transportation is available.

Changing cyclists' second-class citizen status

Jakarta Post

Tired of swearing at the mindless busway projects that have brought Jakarta's traffic to a virtual standstill during "rush hour"?

Something was telling me to leave my car in the garage and go to work by bicycle once or twice a week. Why not? Cycling would surely burn fat and help shift some of this ugly flab around my waist that seems to have grown from sitting for too long amid the sea of immobile cars.

Also, leaving the car in the garage would help the environment, as it would help decrease CO2 emissions. Politicians and environmentalists often preach about the dreadful consequences of climate change, yet they get around the city in cars, too.

The thought of going to work by bicycle just wouldn't stop swimming around in my head. I would stare at my silver secondhand mountain bike I bought at a flea market in 2004 as it sat idle in the carport.

The most difficult thing at first was to beat the laziness out of myself and the lame excuses, like, "Oh, but your office is almost 20 kilometers away", or "What if it rains?", or "Going by bicycle is rather unsophisticated".

I later learned, however, that long-haul cycling on Jakarta's merciless main roads is both fun and adventurous -- albeit sometimes dangerous.

A cyclist's number one enemy is the angkot (public minivan).

Angkot drivers, I discovered, will overtake you, cut you off and suddenly come to a screeching stop right under your nose without bothering to use indicators.

On more than one occasion, angkot drivers have shouted rude words at me for being too "slow", or for not riding close enough to the edge of the road.

Then there is enemy number two: the omnipresent reckless motorcyclists. Like the angkot drivers, motorbikes let out a deafening roar, especially since many do not have mufflers.

Motorists will honk like mad if they get stuck behind a cyclist. Not only are they impatient with your "slower" pace, but they are also afraid, perhaps, that you will lose balance and sideswipe their dear car as they narrowly overtake you.

Indeed, you need the patience of a saint to be a cyclist in Jakarta; a city where you will receive a warm welcome at upscale hotels and shopping malls if you arrive in a flashy car, but will be met with unfriendly stares if you peddle up to the lobby on your bike. Unless you are a foreigner, maybe.

My heart jumped with joy the other day when President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered the city administration to build special lanes for cyclists. The call comes at a time when skyrocketing oil prices are sending chills down the already-nervous government's spine.

Ah, yes, some of the President's men, like Andi Mallarangeng, and a growing number of political celebrities, are avid cyclists who have joined the Bike to Work Community.

If and when city bureaucrats heed Yudhoyono's call, cyclists might eventually have their second-class citizen status raised. Personally, I am among those who doubt the plan will materialize in the foreseeable future in Jakarta, where the streets have not been designed to accommodate cyclists. This means Jakarta would have to start from the scratch to build suitable facilities.

Equally important is some kind of campaign aimed at improving public awareness about cyclists and why they should be respected just like other road users.

It's a shame Governor "Bang Kumis" Fauzi Bowo hasn't offered more support and provided bicycle lanes along the main streets, as the existing pedestrian sidewalks are far too narrow to be shared with cyclists.

Pessimists joke that bicycles may one day take over the capital's main streets, in which case the infamous city law and order officers would confiscate them and then dump them in Jakarta Bay.

This is what happened with becak (pedicabs) in the 1980s when the then governor Wiyogo sent the human-powered, three-wheeled transportation vehicles to the bottom of the ocean, on the grounds they moved too slowly on the increasingly busy city streets.

Bang Kumis, we need cyclist lanes!

-- Pandaya

'Alternative energy needs incentives'

Ika Krismantari, The Jakarta Post, Shanghai

A package of clear-cut incentives is needed if Indonesia's renewable fuel projects are to become a reality, says a senior executive of the world's third largest energy company, Shell.

Shell Hydrogen vice president Duncan Macleod said that it was urgent for the government to provide support in the form of financial assistance and tax incentives for energy companies planning to invest in the environmentally friendly fuel sector.

"For a start, it is not easy to develop clean fuel. That's why we need the government's support, maybe in terms of a mandate or financial support. But in the long run, when the business has developed and a lot of players have been involved, let the market decide where it will go," Macleod said.

A number of companies, including Britain's BP, China's CNOOC and a number of local firms, are lining up to enter the country's biofuel sector, with total investment commitments standing at some Rp 160 trillion as of last July.

However, none of the plans have been realized to date pending government regulations making the use of biofuel mandatory and the introduction of incentives.

Though the government issued a special regulation earlier this year to provide incentives for the development of biofuel feedstock plants, it is short on detail and implementation procedures.

Macleod said Indonesia should learn from China, which has shown a strong commitment to supporting the development of clean and sustainable energy through state financial assistance.

During the ongoing Michelin Challenge Bibendum conference being held here to promote sustainable mobility through the development of various sources of energy, Shell, with the support of the Shanghai government and China's Tongji University, launched the first hydrogen refueling station for fuel cell vehicles.

"This is a trial project, and not commercially operational yet. We aim to create awareness among the people about the existence of this clean energy," Shell China downstream director Dennis Cheong told The Jakarta Post.

Tail-pipe emissions from hydrogen fuel cell vehicles contain virtually no carbon, so that the technology has the potential to significantly improve local air quality.

Clean energy is very important for China, which is the world's second largest automotive market with more than 8 million cars sold per year, and whose demand for energy is expected to more than double in the next two decades.

As well as government support to turn alternative energy projects into reality in Indonesia, Macleod also stressed the importance of a level playing field for all players involved in developing non-conventional fuels so that they would be able to compete with conventional subsidized fuels.

"If you have highly subsidized fuel products in the market, then it will be hard to be able to develop other kinds of alternative energy," Macleod said.

Shell is the world's largest distributor of transportation biofuel, with 3.5 billion liters sold in 2006.

In Indonesia, Shell currently sells high-octane fuels in 18 locations in Jakarta, off-loading some 18 million liters of gasoline every month.

Train to link Medan to airport

MEDAN (Jakarta Post): North Sumatra will build a train line to connect Medan city to Kuala Namu in Deli Serdang regency where the province's airport is currently being built.

The provincial administration signed a MoU on the plan with PT Railink, a joint venture between train company PT Kereta Api Indonesia and airport management firm PT Angkasa Pura II, on Friday.

The train route is expected to be completed in late 2008, or a year earlier than the airport.

North Sumatra Governor Rudolf Pardede said the train would support operation of the Kuala Namu airport, which will replace the current Polonia airport.

"The train will take passengers from Medan train station to Kuala Namu airport," he said in his speech Friday.

Railink's president, Masraul Hidayat, said the 3.7-km track, which is estimated to cost around Rp 10 to Rp 15 billion to construct, will start from Araskabu station in Medan and end at the airport. -- JP

Toyota Kijang, Indonesia's unofficial national car

Fri Nov 16, 2007 11:25am GMT

By Harry Suhartono, Reuters

JAKARTA (Reuters Life!) - India has its legendary Ambassador. Europe's cult car is the Beetle. And in Indonesia? You have the sturdy old warhorse, the Kijang.

Toyota's Kijang may not have the romance of the Ambassador or the cuteness of the Beetle, but the huge multi-purpose vehicle has been the heartbeat of Indonesia for decades.

The Kijang, which means "deer" in Bahasa Indonesia, was first launched in Indonesia in 1977, as a cheap -- and not so attractive -- pick-up truck that could easily navigate the country's bumpy and often packed roads.

Over the years, it's grown into a sleeker vehicle with truckloads of features such as parking sensors, GPS navigation and leather seats, with plenty of space inside to accommodate an extended Indonesian family.

On Friday, Toyota's Indonesian unit launched a coffee-table book on the Kijang to mark 30 years of what the company calls the "pride of the Indonesian family."

Indonesia's best-selling car has held its own, even during the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s and the more recent slowdown in the auto sector due to a massive hike in the fuel price in 2005.

The Kijang, with a starting price of around 160 million rupiah ($17,170), has been the lifeline of Indonesia's second largest automotive distributor, PT Astra International Tbk, which has sold around 1.5 million units so far.

It's become Indonesia's de facto national car -- far better known than the ill-fated Timor, which was launched by former President Suharto's son in the mid-1990s.

In the 1980s there was even a racing series called the Formula Kijang, an open-wheel Formula 1 car look-alike, but with a Kijang engine.

The Kijang has managed to stay in the fast lane despite competition from car-makers such as Mitsubishi, Nissan and Isuzu.

Toyota sold nearly 32,000 Kijangs in the first 10 months of 2007, while none of its rivals came anywhere close to that number.

Nissan launched an assault on Toyota's bastion this year with its fuel-efficient seven-seater van, the Grand Livina. But since the launch in April, only 10,186 units have been sold, while 24,000 Kijangs rolled out of showrooms in the same period.

Why does Indonesia love the Kijang? Quite simply, because it's cheap and easy to run. And it can pack in an entire family and more. The joke in Indonesia is that you only need to feed it some grass to keep it running.

That's serious business in a country where car firms have been racing to lure buyers with their green and fuel-efficient image, and new car sales have been dominated by small models.

Jakarta even has a shopping mall in the centre of the city where instead of clothes, customers shop for cars.

"Now the Kijang has grown big in size ... we have prepared its younger brother, the Avanza," said Johnny Darmawan, president director of PT Toyota Astra Motor, the distributor of Toyota cars in Indonesia, referring to a smaller van launched by Toyota three years ago.

($1 = 9,320 rupiah)

(Writing by Sugita Katyal; Editing by Bill Tarrant)

E. Jakarta plans revitalization project

The Jakarta Post

JAKARTA: The East Jakarta municipal administration is planning to redesign the Jatinegara Golden Triangle to boost economic growth in the commercial district.

The Jatinegara Golden Triangle spans from Jl. Matraman Raya to Jl. Jatinegara Barat and Jl. Jatinegara Timur. Several traditional markets are located in the area, as well as major train and bus stations.

East Jakarta Mayor Koesnan Abdul Halim said the administration would commence revitalization efforts in the area in 2010.

"Our target is to modernize this area so people will feel comfortable. The area is currently crowded with public transportation vehicles and street vendors. We have to relocate the street vendors to a special area."

He said the municipal administration was yet to calculate the anticipated costs associated with the project, which would be carried out by contractors. --JP

Vendors blamed for traffic jams

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In response to worsening traffic congestion along Jl. Mangga Besar I, the West Jakarta administration plans to evict dozens of scrap iron vendors who operate in the area.

The head of the West Jakarta Public Order Agency, Abidin Mustofa, said Tuesday scrap iron vendors who had constructed stalls on the banks of the Ciliwung river would also be evicted.

"But we must work in cooperation with the city's small and medium enterprises agency to provide these traders with alternative places to run their businesses from," Abidin said.

Scrap iron vendors started to construct makeshift stalls on the banks of the Ciliwung river a few years ago. Their stalls are located near a line of permanent shops selling similar products that have been operating in the area since the 1980s.

The shops are located near a crowded intersection close to the Glodok electronic center.

Ade Tarsoma, an officer in the public complaints unit at the Tamansari Police subprecinct, said many motorists had complained about traffic congestion in the area, particularly during peak times.

"We usually deploy several policemen to direct the traffic at these times," he said.

Street vendor Pohak said his kiosk did not contribute to traffic jams in the area.

He said traffic congestion became worse along Jl. Mangga Besar I after the city administration implemented the three-in-one system in December 2003.

"Many drivers use the street to avoid Jl. Hayam Wuruk, which is a three-in-one road" he said.

However, Pohak said his small stall was located on the sidewalk, which made it difficult for pedestrians to pass.

"But the Mangga Besar subdistrict office allowed me to open my stall and I pay Rp 20,000 (approximately US$2.2) for security every month."

He said police had repeatedly warned him about being evicted, but no action had been taken.

"I am ready to move to a new location as long as the administration provides me with a proper place to run my business out of," he said. (ewd)

Super Puma chopper crashes in Papua

Jayapura, Papua (ANTARA News) - A Super Puma helicopter owned by the Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU) crashed at the Sentani airport in Indonesia`s eastern-most province of Papua on Friday afternoon while conducting a test flight.

The helicopter piloted by Maj Bambang Yuniar went down when it was flying at an altitude of 15 feet, Col Dedi Parmadi, commander of the Sentani air base, said.

The pilot and three crew members were chafed in the accident, he said.

The flight accident investigation committee (PPKPT) was looking into the cause of the crash, he said.

Transportation safety commission investigating Malaysian plane crash in Belinyu

Belinyu, Bangka (ANTARA News) - Military (TNI) Air Force Chief of Staff Marshal Herman Prayitno said the Transportation Safety National Commission will mount a probe into the crash of a Malaysian aircraft in Belinyu, Bangka, on Friday.

"The investigation team of the Transportation Safety National Commission will soon go out into the field to find the cause of the crash of the Cessna trainer," he said in Tanjungpandan, Belitung, Friday night.

The Air Force Chief of Staff along with a number of Indonesian high-ranking military officers, is in Belitung to attend a military demonstration on Saturday involving a number of Indonesian Air Force combat planes, and will also be attended by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The air force chief of staff`s statement also eliminated speculations saying that the presence of the Malaysian aircraft was related to the show of power of the Indonesian air force combat planes in Belitung, a very strategic island directly facing Indonesia`s neighboring countries.

The Air Force Chief believed that the Transportation Safety National Commission will find the exact cause of the accident.

In the meantime, during a get-together of a number of government officials at the residence of the Belitung regency head, the air force chief said he had already received a report from Bangka Belitung (Babel) Police Chief Brig Gen Imam Sudjarwo saying that the Malaysian trainer crashed because it ran out of fuel.

In the meantime, another reliable source said that the Malaysian trainer was found upside down in the coast of Pesaren, Belinyu, Bangka, on Friday afternoon, but its pilot Rajib (23) and co-pilot M Nuraiman (25) survived the crash.

According to the source, the ill-fated small plane had engine trouble and went down in the coast of Pasaren, Belinyu, some 75 kilometers from Pangkalpinang.

The pilot and co-pilot were until Friday at 11.30 p.m West Indonesia Time still being questioned the Babel police headquarters.

The small plane, owned by EI.Admal, took off from Malaysia on a flight to Batam - Pangkalpinang - Pontianak - Kucing - Bengkulu, but crashed at 10.30 a.m when over Belinyu apparently due to engine trouble.

Canadian encourages Bali bicycle trend

Prodita Sabarini, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

One fact of life that a 10-day cycling trip from Jakarta to Bali taught industrial designer Jeffrey Werner is that there is a clear hierarchy of road users in Indonesia.

"Bus drivers are at the top, while cyclists are at the bottom of the chain," the 28-year-old Canadian said.

As he cycled over the hilly terrain of the southern coast of Java between late July and early August, Werner was forced off the road by buses and trucks more than half a dozen times.

Two weeks after arriving in Ubud, a hilly tourist spot north of the capital city, Denpasar, the former competitive cyclist noticed the rusty old bikes sitting in his employer's garage and hit on the idea of promoting the bicycle as a "green" mode of transportation in Bali.

His employer was the internationally renowned Bali-based jewelry designer John Hardy, who is also the founder of the Kul-kul campus of the School for Life in Ubud, Bali. The school takes a holistic approach to education.

Werner, who is involved in the ongoing construction of the school, suggested Hardy restore the old bikes and set up a bike trail within the seven-hectare school compound that extended to neighboring villages, which would catapult cyclists to the top of the traffic hierarchy.

Hardy was enthusiastic about the idea. Today, two-thirds of the four-kilometer dirt-and-gravel bike trail within the school compound has been completed, while talks with local community organizations are underway. Two of the old bikes are also now roadworthy.

"Our current goal is for everybody working on the school site to use bicycles, and later for the students to use bikes as well," Werner said.

Hardy said the idea was perfect for the school, which promotes ecological and social sustainability. The school is largely being built from bamboo, which is better for the environment than other timber due to its four-year growth period. Classes are to start in the 2008/2009 academic year, commencing in September.

"If we're driving around the campus in cars, it would set a poor example for the community," Hardy said.

He said hopefully the move would inspire more people in Bali to use bicycles.

Site manager Indra said the reaction from local community organizations had so far been very positive.

The Bali chapter of the Bike to Work cycling organization has 150 members, mostly in Denpasar and Badung regency. Bike to Work has 7,000 members nationwide, 4,000 of which are in Jakarta.

Hardy said bike riding was a growing trend among young people: "Young men and some young women are taking to the streets on funny modified bikes, and this has happened only in the last six months," he said.

"Bali is a good place for people to ride to work. Nothing is very far away and the views are extraordinary," Werner said.

The number of private motor vehicles in Bali has continued to increase, contributing to pollution and traffic jams on the resort island. According to Bali Transportation Agency data, there are 1.4 million vehicles in Bali, including 825,000 motorcycles.

People's increasing purchasing power and the lack of cheap and reliable public transportation are responsible for the growing number of private vehicles on Bali's roads.

However, the current trend of rising oil prices might prompt another fuel price increase.

"With the rising price of premium, people might need to rethink their transportation choices," Hardy said.

In Jakarta, the growing number of hard-core cyclists, bustling through the bus-packed streets of Jakarta, has been noticed by government officials, with Governor Fauzi Bowo promising a special lane for bikers.

"It's not the public's fault they rely on motor vehicles, the fault lies with the design of our traffic system. As a cyclist, I see the streets here are only designed for motor vehicles," Werner said.

"That work lies with the designers," he said.

Indonesia`s Lion Air plans up to $600 mln expansion

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia's largest private airline, Lion Air, plans to raise up to $600 million to acquire stakes or set up new airlines in a number of Asian countries, a company official said on Wednesday.

Lion Air was looking at possible expansion in six countries -- Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Bangladesh and the Philippines, Hasyim Alhabsi, the head of public relations, told reporters.

The airline recently ordered an additional 22 Boeing Co 737-900 series planes as part of its expansion plans, lifting its total orders at the U.S. firm to 122 jets, with a total list price of $7 billion.

"God willing, within 1 to 5 years we will be (operating) in those countries. In the near term, there may be some deals completed in Thailand, Vietnam and Bangladesh," Alhabsi was quoted as saying by Reuters.

"We have been collecting funds from both internal and external sources. We will prepare around $50 million to $100 million for each country."

He did not elaborate on how the money would be raised.

The carrier currently has a fleet of 40 jets on 32 routes.

Lion Air has been aggressively expanding in Indonesia's fast growing airline industry in a country of 220 million people spread across more than 17,000 islands.

The carrier is also expected sign a 10-year $1 billion contract next year with Delta Air Lines , under which the U.S airliner will provide maintenance and services for its fleet.

Indonesia's airline industry has grown rapidly since the government liberalised the sector after the financial crisis in the late 1990s. But a series of recent accidents has raised questions over whether safety has been compromised and whether

the infrastructure and personnel can cope with the huge increase.

There have been calls from some Indonesian officials to modernise ageing fleets to help improve safety.

Tech failures cause half RI's accidents

Alfian, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Half of Indonesia's transport accidents are caused by technical failures, a newly installed professor in engine construction and energy conversion said Wednesday.

Gimbal Dolok Saribu was speaking at ceremony to see him become the new professor at the faculty of engineering and science at the National University in Jakarta.

He said technical accidents were "transportation mishaps caused by material damage".

"These can be very dangerous when they happen at dynamic or movable parts of a vehicle especially when it is moving fast," Gimbal said.

Technical accidents were caused by mistakes in design, poor material selection and material fatigue, he said.

In order to reduce air fares, it was common among airlines to keep using old and exhausted spare parts rather than replacing them with new ones, Gimbal said.

Similar practices occurred across the land and sea transportation sector.

"But the authorities are not aware of such practices.

"And even if they do know, the officials can easily be bought (off)."

Gimbal said there were two other types of accidents, including procedural and systematic.

A procedural accident occurred when a poor decision or violation of procedures was made. A systematic accident was defined as a smaller accident likely to cause a larger one.

The sources of systemic accidents were difficult to trace, Gimbal said, because they generally involved the operation of sophisticated technology.

Transportation facilities including highways and railway should be upgraded, but above all, the competence of human resources need to be improved, he said.

Also installed as professors on Wednesday were Ibrahim Abdullah in political science, Jeane Neltje Saly in law and Lijan Poltak Sinambela in public administration.

Qatar Airways ups flights to Bali

Prodita Sabarini, The Jakarta Post, Denpasar

Qatar Airways plans to fly daily from Doha to Denpasar next year to meet surging demand both from the Middle East and European travellers, a senior airline executive says.

Qatar Airways Far East & Australasia manager Marwan Koleilat said Monday that the airline was also exploring the possibility of establishing direct flights from the Qatari city to the capital of Bali province.

"We are also considering non-stop flights from Doha to Denpasar ," Koleilat told The Jakarta Post after opening Qatar Airways' Bali office.

Qatar Airways, which launched the Doha-Denpasar route in March this year, serves Bali four times a week via Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The service was opened following the success of the airline's Doha-Jakarta route, which was introduced in 2001. At present, the airline serves the route seven times a week via Singapore.

Bali Tourism Agency director Gede Nurjaya has stated on various occasions that the countries of the Middle East were emerging as flourishing markets for Balinese tourism.

He said that the opening of the Doha-Kuala Lumpur-Denpasar route had contributed to an increase in the number of tourists both from Europe and the Middle East.

According to BTA data, a total of 910,567 foreign tourists visited the island between January and July of this year, which represented a 35 percent increase over the corresponding period of last year.

Koleilat said that the plan to fly daily from Doha to Denpasar was due to the high level of demand from passengers. "The Doha-Kuala Lumpur-Denpasar route has a load factor of 90 percent," he said.

The route is served by Airbus A330-200 aircraft, based on a configuration of 22 business class and 259 economy seats, as well as an A330-300 aircraft with 30 business class and 275 economy seats.

Qatar Airways currently operates a modern fleet of 58 Airbus aircraft to 79 destinations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Far East, the Indian subcontinent and North America.

The highlight of Qatar Airways' 2007 expansion has been the launch of flights to New York (Newark) and Washington DC -- the airline's first move into the North American market.

From September 23, Qatar Airways has been flying twice weekly between Doha and the central Indian city of Nagpur. Starting November 27, the carrier will launch four flights a week to the Swedish capital Stockholm.

Daily scheduled services to the western Indian city of Ahmedabad are due to begin on December 12.

Qatar Airways has been one of the fastest growing carriers in the world, with unprecedented expansion averaging almost 40 percent year-on-year for the past decade.

The airline currently operates 58 aircraft, and by 2015 the fleet size is expected to double to more than 110 aircraft.

Call for US to re-open UFO file

By Will Grant, BBC News

A group of former pilots and government officials has called on the US government to re-open an investigation into claims of UFO sightings.

Project Blue Book, run by the US Air Force, was stopped in the late 1960s.

The group, which includes former military officers from seven countries, all say they have seen a UFO or have conducted research into the phenomenon.

However, the Air Force says nothing has happened in the past four decades to justify resuming investigations.

Every year thousands of people say they have seen UFOs in the United States and their claims are usually met with scepticism.

We want the US government to stop perpetuating the myth that all UFOs can be explained away in down-to-earth, conventional terms

Fife Symington

Ex-Governor of Arizona

But this panel of former military, government and aviation personnel from countries around the world has urged the US government to take such claims seriously.

The group say the apparent sightings of hovering orbs, glowing lights and high-speed spacecraft are a national security concern and should no longer be dismissed.

After the attacks of 11 September, the group said in a statement, it was no longer satisfactory to ignore radar returns that could not be associated with existing helicopters and other aircraft.

The panel has called on the US military to re-open an investigation dormant since 1969, called Project Blue Book, in which more than 12,500 UFO claims were investigated by the Air Force.

For now, it seems their pleas have fallen on deaf ears - the US Air Force says nothing has changed that would support a resumption of the investigation.

But those who believe they have seen UFOs, know they have influential supporters.

Among those on the panel is the former governor of Arizona, Fife Symington, and last month, the Democrat presidential candidate, Dennis Kucinich, said during a televised debate that he'd seen a UFO.

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