Dialogue with dr kim

Interview with an Expert: Congestion, Mobility, and Public Paradigm Shift

(from left to right) Isabella (Member Services Coordinator), Meithya Rose (Project Manager), Benny Dwi Adi Asmoro (Project Manager), Dr. Gyeng Chul Kim, Tania Latifa (Intern), Viola Petrella (Intern), Dr. Bernadia Irawati Tjandradewi (Secretary General), Fatimah Nirwana (Project Administrator), Mizalfia Nursabrina (Intern), Helmi Abidin (Liaison), Nanda Sihombing (Strategic Services Officer).

MARCH 28, 2018, UCLG ASPAC received a memorable visit. Dr Gyeng Chul Kim, an expert in Transport field and Special Advisor of UCLG ASPAC, dropped by and spent some time with us to talk about transportation and traffic congestion in Jakarta and Seoul, and solutions for the city.

When asked about congestion in Jakarta‌ Jakarta and Seoul were in the same situation several years ago: facing traffic congestion caused by increasing usage of private cars. The population, area, and density of these two cities were almost the same. Urbanisation and motorisation trends were also similar.

In the case of Seoul, the number of registered vehicles increased 50 times. From 60,000 in 1970 went up to nearly 3 million by 2010. The number of cars increased

quickly; but, road infrastructure or road space was insufficient to cope with the huge demand. In addition, the road is almost completely occupied by cars. They are hampering the movement of public transports, such as buses.

People commuting using Public Utility Vehicles (PUV) would start to think of buying a car because they notice that cars tend to move faster than buses. However, such kind of thinking is like the “sheep-jumping-cliff phenomenon” or like joining the bandwagon. It means that they decide without much consideration.

Is this a common phenomenon faced by cities in Asia-Pacific?

All developing countries experience this popular phenomenon. In the case of the Philippines, the increase of income leads to chances of buying private vehicles, including motorcycles. Car ownership will increase. If there are more cars plying the roads, there will be congestions.

When traffic jam occurs, buses will have less mileage, which, in turn, will lead to increase in operation cost. Once the expenses of the bus operators begin to increase, they will now propose a price increase. As fare increase, commuters will be encouraged to buy their own car. The result? The number of car owners will increase. And the cycle simply continues.

Another cycle is this: As roads get congested with more and more cars, the demand for buses will likely fall. Once bus frequency decreases, people will turn to car for transportation.

These two vicious cycles continued until a paradigm shift was introduced. By the way, this phenomenon is what we call as the “sheep-jumping-cliff” phenomenon.”

What should be done now?

That is why a paradigm shift from “car to people” or “human city, to public justice” is needed. Public justice simply means that the rich, the middle class, and the poor can have the same equal opportunity when it comes to using the road. With this paradigm shift, the non-motorised transport and public transportation becomes the top priority.

Now, Jakarta operates BRT. What are remaining differences between the two cities?

Jakarta, indeed, has the longest BRT network in the world. However, in Seoul, government built huge parking lots in the outskirts where people can park their cars as they take a PUV to get to their destinations. This government effort is called Park and Ride policy. For Park and Ride to succeed, a reliable express service is needed.

We also need High Occupancy Vehicle lane on the expressway (toll road). HOV means a lane will be segregated and will be intended as a high occupancy vehicle lane. >> Bus, instead of taxis or private own cars, in the Seoul Airport ready to transport .people.

Another difference between the two cities can be seen in their respective airports. In Seoul, when people arrive in the airport, they will see buses outside waiting for passengers. In Jakarta, it’s the opposite. Passengers will see a fleet of private cars and taxis instead.

Airport serves as the gateway of countries. Many developing countries prioritise private vehicles more than PUVs. This creates traffic congestion near the airport area. In developed countries, the priority is to have the people to use public transportation. PUVs carry more people; therefore, the use of private cars is discouraged in airports in Seoul. This is TOD – Transit-oriented Development.

What is your recommendation for Jakarta?

(1) Make Public Transport Speedy, Comfortable, Convenient, Safe and Affordable So That Car or Motorcycle Users Will Prefer Public Transport “Moving More People, Not Cars” (2) Discourage Car/Motorcycle Use with Economic Measures. “Shift from Car to Public Transport,” needs “Push & Pull Policy.”

And what do you think is the best way to achieve those?

One solution is political leadership to change the paradigm, from car to human public transport. We need high quality public transportation program, especially ICT-based solution, such as Public Transport Information Management Centre development and integrated unified payment system development.

Dr Kim with Secretariat Team after interview.