Jakarta Considers Weekend-Long Car Free Day, Lawmaker Urges Thorough Planning

A legislator from the Jakarta Regional House of Representatives (DPRD DKI) has expressed support for the idea of implementing a Car Free Day (CFD) twice a week on weekends in Jakarta. However, he strongly urged the provincial government to proceed with thorough preparation. Dwi Rio Sambodo, a legislator from the PDIP faction, supports the plan to extend CFD to two days a week but warned the Jakarta Provincial Government (Pemprov DKI) that it needs to prepare the implementation meticulously. "I encourage the Pemprov DKI and the Transportation Agency (Dishub) to evaluate the CFD by actively involving road users, business actors, affected residents, and CFD participants. The study should not just be based on technical traffic calculations, because the real experiences of people using affected roads and participating in CFD must be the primary consideration in every policy," Rio said. According to Rio, traffic engineering must be designed to be flexible and adaptive. He cited examples such as phased traffic diversions, optimization of traffic lights, and temporary one-way systems at specific points. "This scheme must be socialized early so that the public and business actors can adjust their activities, so that CFD can run smoothly without causing prolonged conflict with other road users," he said. "A integrated team involving the Transportation Agency, the police, and community elements needs to be formed to conduct direct monitoring during CFD. Evaluation must be based on field data, from vehicle density levels, travel times, effectiveness of alternative routes, to the comfort of CFD participants and economic activities in the surrounding areas," he added. Rio stated that the implementation of CFD twice a week opens up space for residents to exercise and socialize safely and healthily. He intends to ask the Pemprov DKI to prepare it thoroughly. "(CFD twice a week) can provide benefits for public health and reduce air pollution. This cannot be ignored just because of technical traffic issues that can actually be managed. Besides that, there are many positive impacts in various sectors such as interaction spaces, MSMEs, environment, education, culture, and others," he explained. Previously, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan responded to the proposal from the Minister of Environment and Forestry, Siti Nurbaya Bakar, for CFD to be held twice a week, on Saturday and Sunday, to address air pollution. Anies stated that the proposal is currently being discussed internally by the Pemprov DKI. "First, I have read the proposal, and actually, the proposal is quite rational. Therefore, internally at City Hall, we have already held discussions. At the appropriate time, of course, we will make a decision," Anies said in the Cempaka Putih area, Central Jakarta. According to Anies, the CFD currently held in Jakarta is not only in the Sudirman-Thamrin area. He said that several administrative cities in Jakarta also have spaces to hold CFD. "Because in Jakarta itself, actually, Car Free Day is not only in the Sudirman-Thamrin area, then Rasuna Said. Now, every city in Jakarta has space to hold Car Free Day," he said. Source: Detik