"Not yet maximal. We have just started the construction of mass rapid transit (MRT) and monorail transportation systems," Jokowi said.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo said the results of his efforts to solve traffic congestion problems in the capital city since he took office one year ago had not yet been widely felt.

"Not yet maximal. We have just started the construction of mass rapid transit (MRT) and monorail transportation systems. When the buses arrive, in addition to the existing transportation facilities, then the public will surely feel the difference," Joko Widodo, popularly known as Jokowi, said at City Hall here on Friday.

He noted that his administration still continued with efforts to overcome traffic congestion throughout Jakarta.

"The results of what we have done have not yet been felt. We have put in place side-road traders so that there is no longer congestion in certain places," he added.

The Jakarta governor noted that it was not simple to ease traffic jams in Jakarta because a solution needs a process and stages.

"We have to acknowledge that to overcome traffic woes in Jakarta is not an easy job, as it will need a process and time," he added.

Therefore, the Jakarta regional administration will next year prioritize the purchasing of public transportation vehicles and the construction of flat houses.

"We will prioritize the development of transportation next year by buying about 4,000 buses, comprising 3,000 medium size buses and 1,000 trans-Jakarta buses. We will also develop 20 blocks of (flats) in 200 places in Jakarta," he explained.

The Indo Barometer survey institute earlier stated that the Jakarta governor had not yet maximized his efforts to solve traffic problems in the city after one year of his administration.

Indo Barometer Executive Director M Qodari said 73.3 percent of 400 Jakarta residents questioned during the survey were not satisfied with the administration`s efforts to handle traffic congestion.

The survey was conducted on 400 respondents, with personal interviews held from October 4 -10, 2013.

Also, on Wednesday, Jakarta Governor Jokowi inaugurated the groundbreaking ceremony for the reconstruction of a neglected-monorail project.

Construction of the project was halted five years ago due to financial problems, though pillars had been set into the ground in some areas.

"Thank God, today we resume the construction of the project. There will be no pillars lying idle and unused," Jokowi said.

He added that he was confident that the project, which is now owned by PT Jakarta Monorail, would be completed by the end of 2016 if work continues round the clock.

"The 30-kilometre-long track consists of the 14.5-kilometre Green Lane (Kuningan, Dukuh Atas, Pejompongan, Senayan, Gatot Subroto, and SCBD) and the 15.5-kilometre Blue Lane (Kampung Malayu, Tebet, Casablanca, Tanang Abang, and Taman Aggrek Mall)," PT Jakarta Monorail (JM) Technical Director Bovananto explained.

On Thursday last week, Jokowi also inaugurated the groundbreaking ceremony for Jakarta`s mass rapid transit (MRT) project.

The MRT line stretches from Lebak Bulus in the south to the Hotel Indonesia roundabout in Central Jakarta and is expected to be completed by the end of 2018.

"For 24 years, residents of Jakarta have dreamt of having an MRT. During this period, some have perhaps lost hope because the project never came to fruition. Thank God, today, the groundbreaking ceremony could be completed, and it is hoped the project will be finished in 2018," the governor said.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2013