JAKARTA, JAKTIMES.COM – The National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) recommends enhancing the quantity and quality of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) services and rail-based transportation (trains) to tackle the high traffic congestion in Jakarta.
“Including its governance, which involves inter-regional collaboration,” said the Chief Inspector of the Ministry of National Development Planning (PPN)/Bappenas, Trisacti Wahyuni, during the Musrenbang RKPD 2025 provincial level and RPJPD 2025-2045 discussions, which were conducted online in Jakarta, as quoted by Jaktimes.com from Antara (24/04/2024).
Traffic congestion, Trisacti added, is one of the strategic issues in Jakarta. Referring to the 2023 TomTom Traffic Index Ranking, DKI Jakarta ranks 30th out of 387 cities measured from 55 countries across six continents. The previous year, Jakarta was ranked 29th among the most congested cities.
Therefore, to address this issue, in addition to improving the quantity and quality of rail-based and BRT public transportation, Bappenas also recommends implementing toll roads and increasing vehicle ownership taxes to reduce private vehicle usage.
Another recommendation is the development of integrated activity centers and settlements through transit-oriented development (TOD).
According to Trisacti, these recommendations can also be applied to address other strategic issues in Jakarta, including the high number of slum settlements and the low quality of urban infrastructure.
Data from the Directorate of Housing and Settlement Areas at Bappenas shows that there are approximately 10.7 thousand hectares of slum areas or 16.4 percent of Jakarta’s area still classified as slums.
Furthermore, regarding other strategic issues, this includes the high risk of disasters, especially floods, fires, land subsidence, and air pollution.
Trisacti referred to data from the Jakarta Flood Watch indicating that around 2.7 thousand hectares of areas are at risk of flooding. Meanwhile, the Jakarta Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) recorded that 200-300 neighborhoods on average are affected by floods each year (2018-2022).
He also mentioned the high income inequality among the community and the lack of attractiveness in the investment and business climate for international companies compared to other global cities in Southeast Asia.
