[sustran] Re: one day without car

[SUSTRAN Network Secretariat]

Here is a rough translation of the Indonesian Car Free Day news.  It is not
quite the kind of car-free day that Eric and co. have in mind but I guess
it is a start.  Sorry about some of the Indonesian abbreviations that are a
mystery to me. 

At 15:55 24/03/00 +1100, Jachrizal Sumabrata wrote:
>Indonesian government (and NGO) announced that on 23 April 2K, will be the
day without car. attached is the news from warta kota, appolgies it is in
Bahasa Indonesia.

Friday, 24 March 2000
EARTH DAY,  WITHOUT "VEHICLES"
Jitinegara, City News

To mark Earth Day this year, the "national ministry for the environment??"
(LH=Lingkungan Hidup???) is organising a day without motor vehicles. The
aim of this is to highlight the problems for environmental quality
especially as a result of pollution from transport.

"Of course, this is a crazy idea (!) but our air quality especially in the
large cities has become serious and threatening, so what is the harm in
trying (something like this).  Only one day without motor vehicles - this
can reduce pollution", added Ir. Aca Sugandhy MSc, Assistant in the
Ministry in the field of Natural Environment on Thurday. 
 
Earth Day falls on 22 April but it will be marked in Indonesia on Sunday 23
April. "We hope that the community will participate.  In Bali at the time
of Nyepi (a festival) the community completely halts all normal activities.
Jakarta can follow this example for just one day", he said.

If successful, our monitoring of the sources of pollution can become more
precise, whether the main sources are private vehicles or public. Recently,
the "environment department office" has been coordinating with several
bodies to carry out this plan, among them Jakarta City Government Parks and
Beautification department, Dept of traffic and road transport, BMG (?),
Lapan (?), LSM (?), Parpol (?), and private businesses. 

>                     Jumat, 24 Maret 2000, 09:12 WIB
>                     Hari Bumi, Tanpa Kendaraan
>                     Jatinegara, Warta Kota

>Memperingati Hari Bumi tahun ini, Kantor Menneg LH mencanangkan gerakan
>sehari tanpa kendaraan bermotor. Tujuannya menyuarakan keprihatinan
>terhadap menurunnya kualitas lingkungan terutama akibat polusi dari
>transportasi.

>"Memang ini ide gila tetapi kualitas udara kita terutama di kota-kota besar
>sudah sedemikian parah dan mengancam sekali, jadi apa salahnya dicoba.
>Sehari saja tanpa kendaraan, ini bisa mengurangi polusi," tandas Asisten
>Menneg LH Bidang Pengelolaan Lingkungan Alam Ir Aca Sugandhy MSc,
>Kamis (23/3).

>Hari Bumi jatuh tanggal 22 April, namun peringatan di Indonesia dilakukan
>Minggu 23 April. "Kami berharap masyarakat berpartisipasi. "Di Bali saja
>pada saat Nyepi, masyarakatnya bisa tidak beraktivitas sama sekali. Jakarta
>bisa mencontohnya sehari saja," ucapnya.
>Jika berhasil, pemantauan sumber polusi bisa lebih tajam, apakah sumbernya
has >kendaraan pribadi atau umum. Kemarin, kantor Menneg LH sudah
>berkoordinasi dengan beberapa instansi untuk
>pemantapan rencara itu, di
>                     antaranya dengan Bapedalda DKI, Dinas Pertamanan dan
>Keindahan Kota,
>                     DLLAJ, BMG, Lapan, LSM, Parpol, dan pengusaha. (mer)
>
-----------------------


A. Rahman Paul BARTER
Sustainable Transport Action Network for Asia 
and the Pacific (the SUSTRAN Network)
P.O. Box 11501, Kuala Lumpur 50748, Malaysia.
E-mail: sustran at po.jaring.my
URL: http://www.malaysiakini.com/sustran

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