South Jakarta's First Bike Lane to Be Ready Next Month

Jakarta Globe, Dofa Fasila | April 26, 2011

Related articles

• Velocipedes Blaze a Trail in Java
• Cycling Enthusiasts Gear Up for Inaugural Meeting
• Buenos Aires Pedaling Bicycles as a Cure for Illness, Pollution and Traffic Jams
• Saving the World, One Commute at a Time
• Jakarta’s Cyclists Hope for Smoother Ride by Opening Bike to Work Center

South Jakarta will have its first ever bicycle lane by the end of May — though it runs a mere 1.5 kilometers.

South Jakarta Mayor Syahrul Effendi said on Tuesday that a gubernatorial decree would be issued to provide the legal umbrella for the lane, which will run from the Ayodya Park to the Melawai commercial area.

"The physical work for the lane is not yet completed," he said, adding that about 40 percent of the work had already been done.

"It's been a bit slow because we have to work in the evenings so as not to hinder traffic during the day. What is important is that this lane would be inaugurated in May and can be used for cycling."

The mayor said the construction of the Rp 500 million, 1.6-meter wide bike lane was being financed by funds raised by the Indonesian Bicycling Committee.

Syahrul added that they would work to develop more bicycle lanes and try to have them interconnected.

Bike lanes, he said, were part of the city's regional zoning plan for 2010-2030.

The head of the South Jakarta zoning office, Gamal Sinurat, said they were looking at putting bicycle lanes under elevated highways, including under the Antasari-Blok M elevated highway and along the parts of the Eastern Flood Canal that runs through the municipality.

Biking enthusiasts and advocates have long campaigned for the creation of dedicated bicycle lanes in Jakarta. Toto Sugito, chairm an of Jakarta’s Bike to Work (B2W) cycling community, says the administration lacked the political will to make the city friendlier for those not using motor vehicles.

Along Sega, Eco Warrior and Tribal Chief, Dies in Borneo

Jakarta Globe, February 07, 2011

Along Sega, one of the last nomadic tribesmen of Borneo who won fame for his battle to save the forests and traditional lifestyle of his Penan people, has died aged in his 70s.

Along Sega, a nomadic tribesmen of Borneo who won
 fame for his battle to save the forests and traditional lifestyle
 of his Penan people dies at 70. ( AFP Photo/ Bruno
 Manser Fund)

Jailed twice for his struggle against the logging companies that devastated ancestral lands in Sarawak on Malaysian Borneo, he was also a mentor to Swiss activist Bruno Manser who brought the outside world's attention to the plight of the Penan.

"When I die, they will continue our struggle because I asked them not to give up," he said in a 2005 interview, according to the Bruno Manser Fund which continues to campaign for the people of the Borneo rainforests.

Along Sega died in hospital in Sarawak last Wednesday, according to the Fund which said the cause of death was unknown, as was his exact age.

"He was really an inspiration to us. He was courageous and was determined to defend the lifestyle of Penans," Harrison Ngau, a lawyer and native rights advocate in Sarawak told AFP Monday.

A leader of one of the last nomadic Penan groups, Along Sega was bitterly disappointed in broken promises by the Sarawak government to create a protected forest reserve which he said had turned out to be "all lies" and "nonsense".

In the 1980s logging companies entered the Penan forest homeland, tearing out the valuable timber and decimating the wildlife, fish and rainforest products like rattan that had long sustained the local people.

The Penan began building roadblocks against the logging companies, filed lawsuits, and lobbied fearlessly to save their traditional territory in a losing battle which continues to this day.

"We want our forest to remain untouched. Because only then we can go hunting," Along Sega said in the 2005 interview.

"When I was young, no one disturbed the animals. The forest was good and we could go hunting close to where we lived," said the tribesman, who sported the traditional Penan fringed haircut, beaded necklaces and loincloth.

"The women could easily catch the fish and get their food. Nowadays, life has become very difficult because of the logging in our area."

Along Sega, a nomadic tribesmen of Borneo who won
 fame for his battle to save the forests and traditional lifestyle
 of his Penan people dies at 70. ( AFP Photo/ Bruno
 Manser Fund)

With much of Sarawak's timber now cut and sold, the Penan face a new threat as the logging firms clear-fell the degraded forest and turn it into palm oil plantations, in what activists say could be the final blow.

The plight of the Penan was made famous in the 1990s by Manser, who waged a crusade to protect their way of life and fend off the loggers, before vanishing in Sarawak in mysterious circumstances in 2000. Many suspect foul play.

The Penan of Sarawak are estimated to number around 10,000, with only about 300-400 thought to still be nomadic. Most settled in villages by the 1970s under the influence of Christian missionaries.

The Bruno Manser Fund said Along Sega himself decided to settle in a village in the early 2000s, mostly because of the depletion of the forests.

Even the settled Penan still retain a deep connection to the jungle, foraging for rattan, medicinal plants, fruits, and sago palm, a starchy staple. Wild game are hunted with finely crafted blowpipes and poison darts. 

AFP

In Indonesia, Obama reflects on Jakarta’s changes

Andi Haswidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 11/09/2010 8:15 PM

Obama arrives: Welcome Barry: US President Barrack Obama waves his hand to the reporters before entering the car at Halim Perdanakusuma Airport in East Jakarta, Tuesday.

Reflecting on the four years he spent here as a child, visiting US President Barack Obama said that Jakarta has changed so much.

“I barely recognize the city … Sarinah used to be the tallest building and now it is one of the shorter buildings on the road,” Obama said at a press conference at the State Palace on Tuesday.

Obama said he was grateful to be back in his childhood hometown with US first lady Michelle Obama and that he planned to return to Indonesia with his two daughters to visit the country’s cultural sites.

Visiting the city as the US president was disorienting, Obama said.

“The landscape has changed completely since I was here in 1967. I remember people on ‘becak’ - bicycle rickshaw things - or ‘bemos’, which were sort of like mobile taxis…Now, as president, I can’t see the traffic. The streets are blocked,” he said, followed by laughter from a crowd of officials and reporters.

Obama thanked the Indonesian people for a warm welcome.

“I feel great affection for people here,” he said. (gzl)

U.S. President Barack Obama shakes hands with Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at Istana Merdeka in Jakarta November 9, 2010. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Related Articles:

Cheering, Bakso and Friendship — An Indonesian Welcome Home for Obama

Obama: U.S. to boost cooperation with Indonesia

Obama in Indonesia: Much work needed on Muslim ties

Did Indonesia minister shake US first lady's hand?