[sustran] KRISMON's traffic blessing and disaster in Bandung

[Harun Al Rasyid Sorah Lubis]

The prolonged economic flu or monetary crisis ( KRISMON in local language
acronym) have obviously dragged the national economy to follow a down
spiralling circuit, where survival is now the only keyword.
Staple price hikes combined with the increasing job lost is triggerring
riots in the regions, especially  where the profile of the income
distribution is already skewed.

As a results eg. according to a recent survey in Bandung,  city traffic
volume drop by 30%.
>From field measurement on six busiest roads, it was reported that NOx
content drop by 400%, from 0.2ppm/24 hrs last year to 0.051 ppm/ 24 hrs.
 threshold limit 0.05 ppm/24 hrs).
CO drop from 4.7 ppm to 1.63 ppm (threshold limit 20 ppm).  What a
blessing....

However, weekend traffic especially if there is a long holiday or extra
Monday holiday, rush of weekenders especially from  Jakarta which is about
165 kms away from Bandung totally paralyses the road network carrying
capacities.  Imagine the last time, where normally it takes 3.5 hrs the
latest one way by car, it takes 8 - 9 hrs, just over twice. Almost every
single road is locked up in town.  As KRISMON prolonged, perhaps, no more
abroad leisure for those in the right tail of the skewed income profile.
What a disaster.... but good for street vendors and local retails.