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Every workday, Nugraha , who lives in Pondok Gede, East Jakarta, bikes all the way to his office in Mega Kuningan, South Jakarta.

Normally, it takes him about 80 minutes to make the trip. When he arrives at his office, he washes off the sweat and pollution from Jakarta’s roads before getting down to business.

One unlucky morning, however, a motorcycle grazed Nugraha while he was riding his bicycle through the Halim area of East Jakarta. He was knocked off his bicycle and his head hit the pavement, causing a nasty gash.

Nugraha received 14 stitches because of the accident. The wound is still visible, but it has not kept him off his bike. He still cycles to work every morning.

Nugraha was luckier than many other cyclists. Toto Sugito, the founder of Bike to Work Indonesia (B2W), said that since 2005, 30 cyclists have died in traffic accidents in the capital. Many others have been injured after being hit by vehicles, mostly motorcycles.

Gumilar Rusliwa Somantri, a sociologist and rector of the University of Indonesia, said Jakarta roads are too dangerous for cyclists. “Biking in this city is almost like attempting suicide,” he said.

The least the government can do, according to Gumilar, is to widen footpaths to give more space to cyclists.

“If we can create the busway, we should be able to make bike lanes.”

Gumilar is just one of a growing chorus of cycling and environmental advocates calling on the government to create bike lanes to meet the safety needs of the city’s cyclists. However, these advocates worry that their pleas are falling on deaf ears.

Many cyclists have found Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo far from sympathetic, especially after he said earlier this year that there were too few cyclists to justify bike lanes.

The 50,000 members of B2W would no doubt disagree. Established in 2004 with only 150 members, B2W, a community of bicycle enthusiasts, can claim much of the responsibility for the recent surge in cycling seen on Jakarta’s streets.

In addition to organizing bike events and gatherings for cyclists, B2W has worked tirelessly to improve biking conditions in Jakarta and the rest of the country.

In 2009, they submitted a green map featuring a network of bike lanes to the Jakarta Spatial Planning Agency, which was positively received. In 2010, they approached the House of Representatives about initiating a new bike lane project.

Despite their efforts, however, the government has taken very little action. South Jakarta Mayor Syahrul Effendi did promise that a bike lane would be created later this year, but it will only cover the 1.5 kilometers between Ayodya Park and Blok M in South Jakarta.

This lack of action has frustrated advocates who say that cyclists have a legal right to be able to ride without fear.

“According to the 2009 Law on Traffic and Public Transportation, the government should honor our right to safety while using the streets,” said Toto.

Some cycling advocates have taken the matter into their own hands. Gumilar spearheaded efforts to create bike lanes at the campus of University of Indonesia in 2008. He said the project was not easy. At that time, many people objected to the project because they said bike lanes would not benefit the university.

“The mindset of our society is still very much centered around motor vehicles,” Gumilar said.

When he started the bike lane project, his goal was to create a safe space for cyclists and pedestrians.

“I was also hoping that I could inspire city mayors or governors to take the lead themselves,” he said.

Gumilar said that Jakarta’s urban society is in desperate need of good leadership, and taking the initiative on bike lanes was a good chance for officials to inspire people and change the city’s mindset.

“To ride a bicycle is a choice, but eventually it will become valued and part of the culture,” he said.

There’s another group willing to take the initiative on bike lanes. Ricky Lestari, chairman of Komunitas Hijau Pondok Indah (Pondok Indah Green Community), said that they are working on bike lanes in their neighborhood area of South Jakarta.

The eco-conscious group gathers every Saturday morning to enjoy the fresh air and ride their bikes together in their community’s green spaces.

Their first big project was to create a green map to show local residents all the best spots for enjoying nature in their area. Bike lanes have become their next big project.

“Bike lanes will help us to meet one of our goals, which is to change the mindsets of Pondok Indah residents about open spaces,” he said. “[The bike lanes] should be finished this June,”

Ai Boediono, another member of the group, said that implementing the bike lane project would be a slow process.

“We would like to ask the B2W community to help us with the design,” Ai said. He said his group had approached a property developer in the Pondok Indah area and had reached an agreement on the bike lanes.

“At the moment, we are trying to encourage Pondok Indah residents to stop using their cars if they only want to visit the [Pondok Indah] mall,” Ai said.

Instead, they are encouraging people to ride their bikes to the mall, which has provided a parking space for bicycles as well as a cycling track around the building.

Gumilar said such initiatives by small communities were inspiring.

“Not many people can do what should be done, and the few who do should be appreciated,” he said.

Unfortunately, he said, political willpower was needed to effect large-scale change. In a city as large as Jakarta, it is often difficult for small communities to make a big impact, he said.

“Our leaders need to change tack and implement environmentally-friendly policies,” Gumilar said.

How many cyclists it will take to make that happen remains to be seen.