A Tale of Sorrow from West Java’s Old Northern Coastal Highway
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·5 minutes read
Kompas/Abdullah Fikri Ashri
A truck drives along a damaged portion of the northern coastal highway on Jl. Raya Pilangsari, Indramayu regency, West Java, on Sunday (19/2). A number of national roads in Cirebon and Indramayu regency in West Java are in dire condition. Some stretches that had been repaired are now damaged again.
The arterial roads in a number of regions in West Java are in need of improvement. What was originally a source of easy money for myriads of locals is now a source of sorrow.
For the past month, severe traffic has been an everyday sight in front of Ujang’s home in Sukatani village, Sukatani district, Purwakarta regency, West Java. Smog and dust fill the air and the heat from the vehicles’ engines is unbearable. “The traffic jams upset everyone here. Traffic jams are everywhere. It’s hard for us to get anywhere,” said the man, 38, in mid-February.
The damage on Cisomang Bridge at the Cikampek-Purwakarta-Padalarang (Cipularang) toll road was the cause. While repairs are under way, no big trucks and buses are allowed to pass Cisomang. The situation creates significantly more traffic on several arterial roads in Purwakarta, with heavy duty trucks and buses going between Bandung and Jakarta. Traffic can back up by up to 10 kilometers on a number of Purwakarta’s arterial roads.
“Conditions like this occurred 12 years ago. However, back then it was a blessing. Many private cars stopped at our roadside food stalls. Nowadays, the trucks and buses seem to be in a rush to get out of here as soon as possible,” he said.
Ujang still remembers the old days when traffic jams were a boon in his neighborhood. He had managed his father-in-law’s business of selling peuyeum, a Sundanese snack made from fermented cassava, and ceramics since the 1990s. On one day, he could sell between 300 kilograms and 400 kilograms of peuyeum. With a price of Rp 1,000 (7 US cents), he could earn up to Rp 400,000 a day.
“I earned more during traffic jams, as this used to be the only major access road between Bandung and Jakarta,” he said.
However, the good days were over as soon as the Cipularang toll road connecting Bandung and Jakarta was opened in 2005. Motorists preferred using the toll road to traversing twisty regular roads. His peuyeum and ceramics business went bankrupt. Some of the ceramics that are still left today are covered in thick dust. “The year 2005 was the end of comfort for me and my family.”
Nowadays, Ujang survives day-to-day at his small stall, at the location of his previous business. He sells packed snacks and earns between Rp 30,000 and Rp 40,000 per day. Despite his significantly decreasing income, Ujang refuses to close his shop as he has no idea as to where life will lead him if he leaves behind the small home where he was born.
“Life is too harsh for us these days. We lose our friends and our income,” he said.
The residents are not the only ones complaining. Purwakarta Regent Dedi Mulyadi is also frustrated. On any day, hundreds of trucks carrying more than 40 tons are traversing arterial roads and bridges in Purwakarta. If the situation persists, Dedi is worried that many of the local bridges and roads will be damaged.
He cited the Ciganea Bridge in Jatiluhur district and Cilalawi Bridge in Sukatani district. Both are currently damaged due to the endless traffic jams created by the damage on Cisomang Bridge.
“Many locals depend on the two bridges. If they are damaged, locals’ activities will be hampered,” he said.
Dedi said he had asked state-owned toll road operator PT Jasa Marga to establish toll gates at the 99-km point in Sawit, Darangdan district, Purwakarta.
However, senior public relations officer Dadan Sarifudin of the company’s Purbaleunyi branch said the request could not be approved just yet. Toll gates at the 99-km point will only be established at alternative toll gates if the Cisomang Bridge repairs cannot be completed soon or if the gates at the 100-km point need to be closed.
Heading toward despair
Tales of sorrow on arterial roads can also be found along West Java’s northern coastal highway. Locals had a golden era, but the opening of the Cikopo-Palimanan (Cipali) toll road has brought despair to the business of Raden Hidayat, 38, and his wife Tumi, 30. Before Cipali was built, they could easily earn Rp 500,000 a day. The story is different nowadays. “Around 15 of my friends have moved to Brebes. It’s becoming deserted here,” Raden said in his now-dusty kiosk on Jl. Raya Palimanan, Cirebon.
Lack of government attention has resulted in damage to the road, once an important part of the national intercity network. Holes of between 10 centimeters and 1.5 meters wide await all incoming motorists. Raden said he was saddened by the traffic accidents that occurred often on the road. “Instead of gaining revenue, I am a witness to many accidents. They happen almost every day,” Tumi said.
The decreasing income of traders on the northern coastal highway has been recorded in a survey by Optima Solusi Indonesia and the Cirebon branch office of Bank Indonesia. The survey found that the revenue of trading sectors as well as hotels and restaurants have dropped by 50 percent since the Cipali toll road was opened.
Some 70 percent of respondents said this was caused by the declining number of vehicles going through the coastal highway. The survey was conducted through interviews with 450 respondents in the final three months in 2015.
The Indramayu Police, for instance, recorded at least seven traffic accidents due to damaged roads with motorists dying on the spot. The northern coastal highway seemed to have been neglected due to the opening of the Cipali toll road.
“The northern coastal highway remains important, especially for trucks. However, road repairs nowadays are different. Road repair projects require tenders,” Public Works and Public Housing Ministry national road implementation office official Muhammad Nurul said.
