•    HOME   
•    NEWS   
•    BUSINESS   
•    INTERNATIONAL   
•    TECH   
•    SPORTS   
•    LIFE & TIMES   
•    OPINION   
•    MY JAKARTA   
•    BLOGS   
•    EYEWITNESS   

After numerous failed attempts to persuade people to stop riding on the roofs of train cars, state railway company Kereta Api Indonesia is hoping the threat of injury, or even death, will put a stop to the already dangerous practice.

The company announced on Wednesday that it planned to install hanging deterrents in the form of rows of concrete balls that will stop anything — living or dead — in its tracks.

Mateta Rizalulhaq, a spokesman for KAI, said the concrete balls would be hung at rooftop height at several stations, such as Bekasi, Tambun and Cikarang, and at train crossings.

“With this method, we hope the passengers will no longer sit on the train roof, as it is dangerous,” Mateta told the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday.

He declined to give a specific start date for the new scheme but said that it would be implemented soon.

KAI has experimented with several tactics to stop rail riders from seeking seats on train car rooftops, but the practice has persisted. Recently, the company sought the help of religious leaders, asking them to speak to their followers about the dangers of riding atop trains.

Last year, KAI installed paint guns at various points that would spray those riding on rooftops. That plan merely resulted in angry, paint-spattered riders.

“We really hope those who have authority, such as the Transportation Ministry and the police, help us in enforcing the law because we have limited authority,” Mateta said.

Wednesday was supposed to be the start of yet another crackdown on roof riders, but tactics employed by stations are typically limited to announcements and verbal scoldings.

West Java’s Bojong Gede station chief, Dharmawan, said his 15-strong staff was powerless to deal with the roof riders.

“During rush hour, trains from Bogor are packed while passengers waiting [at the Bojong Gede station] often can’t get onboard,” he said.

“We have tried warning people not to ride on the roof using banners and loudspeaker announcements. We even tried getting help from clerics, but they don’t usually last long. Our officers even had stones thrown at them by people refusing to get down from the roof.”

The Depok Lama and Depok Baru stations plan on building a series of bars to close the gaps between the stations’ roofs and train rooftops.

“At the Depok stations, there is no gap where passengers can get onto the roof or for them to climb down,” Depok Lama station chief Gatot said.

But the official admitted that eventually roof riders would find a way to get on top of the train by climbing up once the train cleared the station’s roof.

Gatot said that to effectively reduce the number of roof riders, more trains were needed.

“Each train car has a capacity of 160 people, but during rush hour more than 200 can cram into every little space,” he said.

Joko Setijowarno of the Indonesian Transportation Society criticized the varying approaches used by different stations, adding that preventing roof riding required a uniform and continuous policy.

“You can’t do one thing at Station A and do another at Station B, or do one thing today and do another thing the next day. Everything has to be done simultaneously for the program to work,” he said.

Seventeen-year-old Adit said he liked roof riding with friends just for the fun of it. “There’s a rush when you get on top of the train, plus the view is great and you don’t have to pay,” he said.