Welcome Guest   |  Login   |   Signup
JG Logo
Sat, May 26, 2012
Archive Search

Roads Cannot Keep up With Traffic Weight in Bogor
Vento Saudale | January 05, 2011

A banana tree growing from a pothole in Bogor. Residents have protested against industrial traffic overloading local streets. (JG Photo/Vento Saudale) A banana tree growing from a pothole in Bogor. Residents have protested against industrial traffic overloading local streets. (JG Photo/Vento Saudale)
Share This Page
4
0
0
1
Share with google+ :


Post a comment
Please login to post comment

Comments

macantidur
5:07am Feb 28, 2011

Oh . . . roads? There were supposed to be roads. But don't blame the road workers . . . "Sorry boss, uang habis, dimakan tikus, seperti biasa!"

  • Previous
  • 1
  • Next

Officials in Bogor ordered six water refilling depots in the Ciawi subdistrict to suspend operations on Tuesday, a day after residents protested against the companies.

Residents have accused the companies’ water tanker trucks of severely damaging the road. All six companies are located along an eight-kilometer stretch of Jalan Veteran that is pockmarked with potholes up to a meter wide.

Asep Ruhiyat, head of the Ciawi road and water agency, said the road was repaved in the middle of last year but was quickly damaged by the heavy truck traffic going to and from the depots.

“The road is classified as a Category 3A road, which means it has a maximum load rating of 10 tons,” he said.

“However, most of the tankers that use the road weigh in excess of 12 tons. So it’s obvious why the road is so badly damaged.”

Asep said his office had repeatedly warned the companies not to overburden the road, but they ignored the warnings.

“We also recommended that they build a pipeline from their water source to a filling depot downstream that is located by an interprovincial road, which is rated for higher loads, but again they ignored us,” he said.

While the companies’ operations are temporarily halted, he added, repairs to Jalan Veteran will only begin in March.

When the Jakarta Globe visited the Mata Pangrango company on Tuesday, it was closed. A guard at the site confirmed that operations had been suspended.

“For now, the company isn’t operating,” he said.

“We are still waiting for the results of a meeting between the directors of the company and subdistrict officials.”

Residents have welcomed the closure of the depots, which means no more heavy tankers using the road, but they said the road must be repaired as soon as possible to prevent accidents and traffic jams.

Yayat, 30, a public minivan driver whose route goes through Jalan Veteran, said there was daily traffic congestion in the area because cars had to slow to a crawl to get around or through the potholes.

He said the congestion was worst in the morning and afternoon, when vehicles pile up outside the four schools on the road to drop off or pick up students.

Asep, 29, a motorcycle taxi driver, said the road became particularly dangerous during heavy rains, when water fills up the potholes and hides them from sight.

During the dry season, he added, the dust from the potholes often obscures visibility.

Sauoka, 62, a resident, said the road was much better maintained during the rule of former President Suharto.

“That’s because he owned a cattle ranch near here, so they always made sure the road was good,” he said.