Days of Riding Dangerously

Jakarta, Indonesia (News Today) - Some 6 million holiday-makers on motorcycles are to go eastwards from Jakarta covering hundreds of kilometers to their hometowns during the days prior to the Idul Fitri holidays next week. The days of riding dangerously will certainly be the case.

The millions of people, riding on some 3.6 million motorbikes, will indeed be an awesome adventure considering the safety risks involved. Besides fatigueness, other inconveniences they are to face include inhaling exhaust gasses discharged by other vehicles along the way.

Despite concern over safety, they seem adamant with their plans to go to their hometowns on motorcycle, saying they prefer to use this type of vehicles as it is financially less costly. In addition to that, according to them, using motorcycles would give them almost complete freedom and fun as well.

Abdul Supri (35), an "ojek" (motorcycle taxi operator), who always waited for customers around Sarinah building in downtown Jakarta, said he would again go to his hometown in Cirebon, some 350 kms east of Jakarta this year on his motorbike along with friends.

"It`s cheaper using my own motorcycle than using public transport, though I worry for rain along the way," he said wryly.

Another ojek driver, Ahmad Maulana (36) shared his opinion and said, "I prefer using my own motorcycle because I can enjoy Idul Fitri moments in my village. This is my program every year with my wife and my son, who has his own motorcycle, and it is cheaper than taking a bus."

He added he knew about the risk on his safety and pledged he would ride slowly. A worker, Didi Junaidi (37) of Indramayu, near Cirebon, said using motorbike would be much more bearable financially to him. Things would be cheaper in his calculation because the bike would provide him with flexibility and make him paying no more transportation costs while in hometown.

Head of Jakarta Transportation Office Udar Pristono urged Jakartans, on Tuesday, not to travel by motorcycles to their hometowns for Idul Fitri celebration because it endangers their lives. "Please go by public transportation means," Pristono said.

Pristono said that his office will cooperate with the police in maintaining order during the annual exodus in which most Jakartans usually return to their hometowns to celebrate Idul Fitri moments. There is legally no way that the motorists be banned from using their motorcycles.

Pristono added that in order to anticipate a surge in the number of passengers during the Ramadan fasting month and Idul Fitri, his office has prepared 6,114 inter-city/province buses.

"We have prepared all, including railway trains and airplanes," he said.

Motorcycle sales up

Against that backdrop, a motorcycle association estimated that motorcycle sales this month could hit 700,000 units as people need vehicles for transportation during the Idul Fitri holidays this year. "This month’s sales will be equal to last month’s sales of 701,258 units," Johannes Loman, deputy chairman of the Indonesian Association for Motorcycle Manufacturers (AISI) told media last week.

Loman said many companies have also required their employees to own motorcycles for their work, particularly for marketing activities. The sales target of 7, 0 million units for 2010 therefore might be well achieved, following strong sales of 4.2 million units in the first seven months of this year.

Sales during the January-August period reached slightly over 4.2 million, or a 43 percent increase from the same period a year earlier, as data from the PT Astra International, Honda distributor and AISI has revealed. The robust growth came despite the current high interest rate triggered by inflationary pressure as Indonesians usually finance purchases with bank lending.

Indonesia has seen a rapid growth in motorcycle sales over the years. According to a survey conducted in the first semester, motorcycle ownership in the country increased by 125 percent annually from 2000 to 2007. The survey, carried out by Nielsen Media Research Indonesia, showed that motorcycle ownership jumped from 10.5 million in 2000 to 23.7 million by the end of last year.

The country’s largest motorcycle dealer said it had enjoyed healthy sales thanks to persistent traffic jams and poor public transportation. Julius Aslan, the marketing director of PT Astra Honda Motor, the sole distributor of Honda motorcycles in Indonesia, said buyers were often former public transport users.

"When people are frustrated by public buses, or sick of traffic jams, they will try motorcycles. It’s cheap, and has much better mobility," he recently told media. These days, with a Rp500,000 (US$50) down payment, people can bring home a brand new motorcycle using a credit scheme with affordable installments.

Environmental concerns

An influential environmental NGO has voiced concerns over mass motorcycling across Java during Idul Fitri days next week as millions of travelers on 3.6 million motorcycles are preparing for their annual exodus from Jakarta.

"The use of two-wheeled or four-wheeled vehicles will always supply carbon gasses and have greenhouse impacts on the atmosphere. Let alone about the waste in fuel usage," Ahmad Safrudin, director of Committee for Leaded Gasoline Phase-out (KPBB) told ANTARA, on Wednesday.

He went on to say that the primary concerns remained on the safety of the motorcyclists, adding that it was understandable Idul Fitri travelers would be reluctant to use the available mass transport means as using their personal vehicles would be deemed more efficient and convenient.

However, things would get really bad when millions of vehicles, both two- and four-wheeled, would be on the road for several days with engines running without stopping. Safrudin said that currently up to 23 percent of CO emissions were from vehicle use.

Thus, the use of millions of vehicles days prior to and after Idul Fitri would contribute more to that figure. He also regretted the fact that the government had ignored the data and figures on CO emission presented by KPBB every year.

Ministry of Transportation has predicted that 3.6 million motorcycles would be used during this year Idul Fitri holidays across Java, mostly from Jakarta eastwards to cities in Central and East Java. This figure is 15 percent higher than the 2009 figure when some 3.14 million motorcycles used during Idul Fitri holidays that year. Last year’s data showed fatal traffic accident victims were mostly motorcyclists, accounting for 76 percent the total of 1,646 road incidents.

Source : kompas

Posted in: