Kereta Api must repair signal system: Experts

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 03/07/2009 2:31 PM  

Following Thursday's fatal pile-up at a railway crossing on Jl. Bandengan Utara, North Jakarta, transportation experts have called on state train operator PT Kereta Api to promptly fix its signaling system. 

They also urged the administration to launch a massive campaign to promote safe driving practices. 

Izzul Waro, a researcher from the NGO Institute of Transportation Study, said most road users violated railway crossing gates because they deemed the system redundant. 

"Many city residents who are in a rush have experienced having to wait very long at railway crossings before a train goes by," Izzul said. 

"When that happens every day, then psychologically motorists no longer trust the security system and start ignoring the portals." 

Izzul added PT KA needed to invest more to improve the effectiveness of the existing signaling system. 

"The city's current railway signaling system was established in the 1980s," he pointed out. 

"Investment doesn't always mean setting up a new system. The company can allocate more money for frequent and careful maintenance so the system works better." 

Bambang Susantono from the Indonesian Transportation Society said it was impossible to alter motorists' reckless driving culture without first providing them with adequate infrastructure. 

"Providing infrastructure and campaigning for safe driving have to be done simultaneously," he said. 

Two people were killed and five seriously injured in Thursday's incident, when a train collided with eight vehicles - two cars, a truck, a public minivan and four motorcycles. Witnesses said the portal had closed long before the train came, resulting in a long tailback. The gates were then opened to ease the jam, and the eight vehicles rushed to cross just as the train came along. 

Akhmad Sujadi, spokesman for PT KA's Jakarta office, confirmed the accident occurred due to trouble with the signaling system. 

"The system was damaged by floods," he said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com. 

Jakarta has 365 railway crossings. Some 150 have manually operated portals managed by officials, while 61 have automatic gates, with 100 managed by local residents who charge motorists to cross. The rest are left unguarded. (hwa)

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Most of Jakarta train crossings unattended

Govt urged to fix damaged road

The Jakarta Post

LOMBOK, West Nusa Tenggara: At least 2,500 people from Lembar and Sekotong districts marched to their local legislative council office Monday in Gerung, West Lombok, urging the local government to repair the severely damaged roads in their districts.

The group became uncontrollable and damaged several facilities in the office.

The violence abruptly stopped all activities in the legislative building and the regental administration office next door.

"The (West Nusa Tenggara) Governor and regent only make promises every year... but they never keep them. We are tired of them and now we are urging them to keep their word," rally coordinator Abdul Madjid said.

In the past five years, the local government had not fixed the damaged roads in the two districts even though residents had reported the condition to the authorities, Madjid said. Because of the damage, it was difficult for them to transport and sell their harvests.

Initially the protesters insisted to meet with West Lombok Regent Iskandar but were blocked by police and public order officers. They became angered and threw bottles, stones and branches at the legislature building.

Live WW II rocket found in Indonesian river: police

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesian police said they had recovered a 200-kilogram live rocket (440-pound), apparently a World War II-era relic, from a river on Friday after curious locals reported the finding.

"From the looks of it, the rocket has been buried in the stream for a long time, but it is still live and quite dangerous," mobile brigade (Brimob) policeman Asep Hendar, from Surakarta district in Central Java, told AFP.

A Brimob bomb squad retrieved the rocket, but rust obscured any inscription on the 1.5-metre (yard) long missile, which appeared to be a World War II remnant, he said.

Both Japanese and Allied forces fought in locations across Java during the era.

Hendar said the rocket was to be transferred to Brimob's provincial headquarters in Semarang -- about 80 kilometres (50 miles) away -- where it would be defused.

Two villagers spotted the rocket on Thursday nestled in bushes growing in a stream while fishing, the state-run Antara news agency said.

"We tried to lift it first, but it was too heavy. So we reported it to the police," one of the villagers reportedly said.

UGM embarks on clean air program

YOGYAKARTA (Jakarta Post): Gadjah Mada University (UGM) has embarked on a healthy environment program by banning motorcycles and cars from entering its operational building compound.

A temporary ban was put in place Saturday and would last until the end of this month, university chairman for human resources and administration Ainun Na'rim said.

"Motorcycles and cars are prohibited from entering the compound from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. We have provided parking spaces around the buildings for all employees, students and guests," Ainun said.

UGM spokesman Suryo Baskoro said the program would be evaluated temporarily before being adopted into university regulations.

"We will run the program to help create a comfortable campus. Many campuses in Europe have banned motorcycles and cars, and we want to apply the same concept here as part of our commitment to preserving clean air around the university," Suryo said.

He said UGM still needed to prepare an in-depth plan for ban, which would need to be approved by the rector. The only vehicles permitted entry to UGM would be for special guests and deliveries, he said.

Satellite city gets greener

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

In line with a nationwide tree-planting drive being carried out this month, hundreds of residents from the Bumi Serpong Damai (BSD) satellite city in Serpong, Tangerang, joined forces Saturday to make their area greener.

The national campaign is focused on encouraging women throughout the country to plant and maintain 10 million trees.

BSD director Liam Ning said Saturday's tree-planting drive in the area was organized to raise awareness among local residents regarding the impact of global warming.

"In order for the new trees to be able to properly grow and develop, we will hire special workers to monitor them," she said.

BSD corporate general communications manager Dhony Rahajoe said a total of 560,000 trees had been planted in the satellite city as part of its green development program.

"Planting trees gives life to nature, which in turn helps prevent natural disasters," he said.

The nationwide tree-planting campaign was officially launched by First Lady Kristiani Herawaty to coincide with the UN-administered international conference on climate change currently being held in Bali.

Team says it takes a city to fight floods

Ikram Putra and Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta, Depok

A special flood mitigation team says the community has a major role to play in lessening the impact of flooding in the city.

"People must learn where they should keep their valuables, or where they should evacuate when flooding does occur," the institutional communications specialist of the Netherlands-based Jakarta Flood Team, Darismanto, said Thursday.

"People need to play an active role in mitigating floods. They must also know children's safety comes first before they save others," he said.

The team met with administration officials at City Hall to discuss strategies for curbing flood risks.

An engineer with the team, R. Van Nes, said the administration needed to work on getting out early flood warnings to residents.

"The administration should tell the people to prepare medicines, drinks and clean water in advance," he said. "They may already know about this but we need to remind them."

He also warned of future tides higher than the ones on Nov. 26 that resulted in major flooding in North Jakarta.

Jakarta's crisis center also warned that Penjaringan and Pluit subdistricts in North Jakarta would be threatened by high tides between Dec. 8 and 12, and Dec. 20 and 25.

The administration can also help reduce the impact of floods by revitalizing water catchment areas and waterways in the city, said Van Nes.

The administration, he said, can simply clean the rivers of waste to restore their functions.

"Such efforts may overcome half of the flood problems," he said.

He said the administration should also cooperate with neighboring administrations in Greater Jakarta and with the central government.

Governor Fauzi Bowo has met with the governor of neighboring Banten, Ratu Atut Chosiyah, to try and put together a plan on revitalizing water catchment areas along the border between the two provinces.

The Jakarta administration granted Banten Rp 5 billion (US$537.63 million) for the joint plan.

Fauzi also has met with Depok Mayor Nur Mahmudi Ismail to assemble a team tasked with tackling a number of common issues, including floods.

"The team will give suggestions on issues involving both administrations," Fauzi said Wednesday.

He said both Depok and Jakarta faced similar issues like floods and traffic congestion that needed to be addressed through cooperation between the administrations.

"I've learned Depok has numerous water catchment areas that could help us mitigated floods in Jakarta," said Fauzi.

"It would be great, I can say, if we could make the water heading to Jakarta run slower."

Mayor Nur said his administration had asked for Rp 300 billion from the central government to revitalize 30 man-made lakes in Depok.

"We're also planning to build a small dam on Ciliwung River to catch more water. But the available budget will depend on the central government," he said.

Located 70 meters above sea level, Depok is the last gateway for the Ciliwung River before its water enters Jakarta through the Pesanggrahan River.

Floods engulf three villages in Pamekasan

Pamekasan, Madura (ANTARA News) - Floods hit and inundated three villages, namely Galadek Anyar, Karteker and Kolpajung, in Pamekasan regency, Madura, East Java, on Friday night (Dec 7).

In many places the flood waters are chest deep, and even reached the roof of many homes at Jalan Amin Jakfar.

The first time hitting the three villages, the floods came suddenly and unexpectedly after a river embankment caved in Galadek Anyar village, reaching and inundating nearby homes.

"At least 50 homes were flooded," said Fauziyah (38), a resident at Jalan Amin Jakfar, Galadek Anyar village.

Many residents were crying in panic when seeing their homes almost disappearing from their sight engulfed by raging flood waters.

Residents were trying hard to block the flood waters, by anything they could lay their hands on, including wooden planks, mud and clay, but to no avail.

According to Fauziyah, on Friday night many residents took shelter at the local village office, but many stayed near their flooded homes watching out for looters.

Govt tells housing complexes to unblock roads

Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The city administration's plan to open all gates in housing complexes has drawn particular opposition from residents in Pondok Indah in South Jakarta.

Governor Fauzi Bowo has said gates in housing complexes block public access to main roads and worsen traffic, and thus need to be opened, if not dismantled.

He said the administration was studying which gates must be immediately opened, adding the manner of execution would be up to the respective municipalities.

Pondok Indah residents are brainstorming ideas of how to open a number of gates while still keeping them closed at certain times for security reasons.

Louis Pakaila, a spokesman for Pondok Indah residents, asked Friday the administration table plans until a residents' meeting could take place.

"Representatives from five community heads in Pondok Indah will have a meeting tomorrow evening," he said.

The meeting, he said, would determine which gates would be opened and the period of time they would stay open.

However, Louis said, the meeting would only consider gates that grant public access to main roads.

Louis said Pondok Indah community leaders earlier ordered a number of gates, particularly those near main streets, to be closed from 6 p.m. to 9 a.m.

Deputy Governor Prijanto said residents who set up gates "have breached both the 2007 law on spatial planning and the 2007 law on public order".

"The spatial planning law guarantees public access to all streets," he said.

He said no individual or institution could install a gate without permission from the governor.

Pondok Indah residents closed the gates during peak hours in September when construction began on a new busway corridor.

The corridor, which passes through Jl. Metro Pondok Indah, will eventually link Lebak Bulus in South Jakarta to Harmoni in Central Jakarta.

Motorists began taking alternative roads to avoid massive traffic jams on Jl. Metro Pondok Indah caused by the construction.

In a community forum website one commuter said closed gates had been a cause of traffic jams in the area.

Residents said they sought to head off possible crime by closing the gates.

"Residents can count on the nearest police station if they fear that opening gates means giving rise to crime," said Prijanto.

The administration is also considering dismantling traffic bumps that were built without permission in some housing complexes.

Residents threaten to block tollway

JAKARTA (Jakarta Post): Ulujami residents have threatened to blockade the Ulujami-Serpong turnpike again if state tollway operator PT Jasa Marga fails to finalize land compensation payments by Wednesday.

Lawyer representing the residents, Andi Rivai, said the tollway operator was yet to compensate residents whose land was acquired to construct the tollway.

"We haven't received anything. If Jasa Marga doesn't pay up by Wednesday, we will blockage both lanes of the tollway," he said at the Jakarta Police headquarters.

Rivai said the tollway operator owed displaced residents more than Rp 4.3 billion (approximately US$462,700) in total.

City police deputy chief Brig. Gen. Raziman Tarigan said all related parties would be summoned to a meeting Wednesday at police headquarters.

The residents blockaded the tollway on Sept. 6 and Nov. 8, causing extensive traffic congestion on both occasions.