Editorial: For pedestrians only

Paper Edition | Page: 6

The presence of street vendors on sidewalks in many parts of the capital has undeniably annoyed Jakartans, particularly pedestrians, who are exposed to danger as they walk along the roads instead of the sidewalks which are supposed to be for them only.

Therefore, a plan by the Jakarta city administration to relocate the vendors and return the sidewalks to their original function is highly commendable.

“The presence of street vendors often causes traffic congestion and they are such an eyesore. By relocating them, we expect Jakarta will become a more comfortable place,” Deputy Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama said early this week.

We agree with Ahok. Many sidewalks have long been misused and the city authorities have turned a blind eye to the problem. Beside street vendors, sidewalks have been converted by individuals and organizations into their semi-permanent or permanent offices and illegal parking lots.

It is high time for Jakarta city administration to return sidewalks into their original function. The administration should not only relocate the street vendors, but also remove all illegal buildings and stop illegal parking.

Many developed cities worldwide pay serious attention on the development of pedestrian facilities, which is seen as an integral part of their transportation system. The plan to free sidewalks in the city from such illegal activities is, therefore, in line with the policy of Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, which focuses on the improvement of the city’s public transportation.

Better pedestrian facilities will encourage people to use public transportation as they could then easily change from one public transportation mode to another.

However, the administration’s strong commitment to free sidewalks from illegal activities must not come at the expense of the street vendors as they continue their business. The policy to tidy up the city, therefore, must be based on a win-win solution mechanism.

Jokowi’s success story in relocating the street vendors in his hometown, Surakarta, when he was mayor of the city may need to be applied to Jakarta. Of course, the situation here is totally and much more complex than the Central Java city. Relocating the street vendors is obviously not an easy task to do as according to the deputy governor, there are about 300,000 street vendors across the capital, while the number of empty kiosks at the city-owned traditional markets is only 15, 875.

The administration, therefore, needs to be more creative in facilitating the street vendors and cannot merely rely on available empty kiosks. It can involve private companies to help solve the problem. Governor Jokowi, for example, can approach building managements in the areas where the street vendors used to operate to accommodate the vendors so that they could continue their business.

Freeing sidewalks from illegal activities is important, but ensuring the continuity of the street vendors’ business is no less important.