|
One crucial component of the price
of a commodity is the cost of transportation, which is greatly influenced by
road infrastructure. The better the condition of the roads, the shorter the
travel time and the lower the transportation costs incurred — and vice versa.
Java’s northern coastal highway (Pantura) — which stretches from Anyer in Banten, via Cirebon in West Java to Situbondo in East Java — is the main distribution line for many basic commodities.
The 1,100-kilometer (km) road is important for the national economy and the busiest road in the country. Day and night the road almost never sleeps, with various modes of transportation traversing it.
As with previous years, the socio-economic activities of the people increased sharply during Ramadhan and until Idul Fitri. The movement of the people and goods become very intense.
An allocated budget of Rp 1.3 trillion (US$126,46 million) should be sufficient to carry out excellent quality maintenance projects along the 1,100-km line; Ensuring that the road can last up to 10 years. But in reality, the roads are disheveled each year before Idul Fitri.
The government’s model for the northern coastal highway line has never changed. All repair projects are conducted during the peak distribution period — up to seven days before Idul Fitri: Culminating in — not surprisingly — severe congestion.
The peak period of distribution of basic commodities and primary needs should be ahead of when the people make their way back to their hometowns and all repair works should be completed Ramadhan.
The economic losses from such traffic congestion could reach up to Rp 2 billion per day. This is calculated from delivery delays, increased costs or operational costs, the incremental cost of fuel wasted on the street and the costs incurred by trucks waiting for days to cross.
In addition, vehicle owners have to suffer a decrease in productivity of their vehicles by 20 to 30 percent. Meanwhile, the flow of logistics, which normally should be achieved between three to four days, incurs a time penalty of around two days.
Moreover, all spheres of life are severely disrupted. Bottlenecks on the northern coastal highway have a serious impact on the lives of society and the distribution of basic commodities.
Congestion has led to longer journeys, loss of opportunities planned in advance and the declining quality — or even damage to — the goods transported.
Basic commodities such as eggs, vegetables, fresh milk and fresh meat are perishable. Increased transportation costs, thus, reflect on the final costs of items to the consumer.
In order to address the problem, the government needs to change its paradigm on the coastal road’s maintenance program. Any repairs must be completed before the peak period arrives.
Other measures should include tightening supervision on road uses, especially for heavy vehicles, which are often blamed for the rapid deterioration of roads as they carry loads well above the maximum tonnage allowed. In this case, the Public Works Ministry should also construct roads for heavy vehicles.
Apart from the quality of the roads and alleged rampant “bribery” by drivers of overweight vehicles to the police and Transportation Ministry officials, another important thing that the government needs to do is to audit the roads.
The lack of lighting on some stretches, the absence of road markings, the lack of road signs and uneven surface pose a great threat to the safety of road users. An audit could minimize accidents and help address the traffic issues.
Finally, in order to reduce road congestion and to facilitate the development of the economy, the construction of the Trans-Java toll road should be expedited.
The planned 898-km Trans-Java toll road — linking Anyer to Banyuwangi — would go some way to break the traffic bottleneck.
In the meantime, the entire repair works along the Java northern coastal highway hopefully can be completed before the arrival of Idul Fitri this year. ●
Java’s northern coastal highway (Pantura) — which stretches from Anyer in Banten, via Cirebon in West Java to Situbondo in East Java — is the main distribution line for many basic commodities.
The 1,100-kilometer (km) road is important for the national economy and the busiest road in the country. Day and night the road almost never sleeps, with various modes of transportation traversing it.
As with previous years, the socio-economic activities of the people increased sharply during Ramadhan and until Idul Fitri. The movement of the people and goods become very intense.
An allocated budget of Rp 1.3 trillion (US$126,46 million) should be sufficient to carry out excellent quality maintenance projects along the 1,100-km line; Ensuring that the road can last up to 10 years. But in reality, the roads are disheveled each year before Idul Fitri.
The government’s model for the northern coastal highway line has never changed. All repair projects are conducted during the peak distribution period — up to seven days before Idul Fitri: Culminating in — not surprisingly — severe congestion.
The peak period of distribution of basic commodities and primary needs should be ahead of when the people make their way back to their hometowns and all repair works should be completed Ramadhan.
The economic losses from such traffic congestion could reach up to Rp 2 billion per day. This is calculated from delivery delays, increased costs or operational costs, the incremental cost of fuel wasted on the street and the costs incurred by trucks waiting for days to cross.
In addition, vehicle owners have to suffer a decrease in productivity of their vehicles by 20 to 30 percent. Meanwhile, the flow of logistics, which normally should be achieved between three to four days, incurs a time penalty of around two days.
Moreover, all spheres of life are severely disrupted. Bottlenecks on the northern coastal highway have a serious impact on the lives of society and the distribution of basic commodities.
Congestion has led to longer journeys, loss of opportunities planned in advance and the declining quality — or even damage to — the goods transported.
Basic commodities such as eggs, vegetables, fresh milk and fresh meat are perishable. Increased transportation costs, thus, reflect on the final costs of items to the consumer.
In order to address the problem, the government needs to change its paradigm on the coastal road’s maintenance program. Any repairs must be completed before the peak period arrives.
Other measures should include tightening supervision on road uses, especially for heavy vehicles, which are often blamed for the rapid deterioration of roads as they carry loads well above the maximum tonnage allowed. In this case, the Public Works Ministry should also construct roads for heavy vehicles.
Apart from the quality of the roads and alleged rampant “bribery” by drivers of overweight vehicles to the police and Transportation Ministry officials, another important thing that the government needs to do is to audit the roads.
The lack of lighting on some stretches, the absence of road markings, the lack of road signs and uneven surface pose a great threat to the safety of road users. An audit could minimize accidents and help address the traffic issues.
Finally, in order to reduce road congestion and to facilitate the development of the economy, the construction of the Trans-Java toll road should be expedited.
The planned 898-km Trans-Java toll road — linking Anyer to Banyuwangi — would go some way to break the traffic bottleneck.
In the meantime, the entire repair works along the Java northern coastal highway hopefully can be completed before the arrival of Idul Fitri this year. ●
Tidak ada komentar:
Posting Komentar