Pertamina Fuel Transporter Truck

A Pertamina fuel transporter truck with all its safety signs and warnings stopping at a traffic light. I took this photo sometime ago from behind the windshield of my car.

Pertamina is Indonesia's national oil, gas, and energy company.

Husein Sastranegara International Airport

This is the front facade of Husein Sastranegara International Airport, Bandung (BDO).

Husein Sastranegara is a very small international airport, one of the smallest in Indonesia. However, it is also a very busy airport, one of the busiest in the country for airports located in the provincial capital. The airport currently handles about 1.3 million passengers per year carried by 13 commercial airlines connecting Bandung directly with some major cities in Indonesia and two cities in southeast Asia, i.e. Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. It is also an important airport because it is the nearest airport from Jakarta, the nation's capital.

Husein Sastranegara currently only has one terminal that is used both for domestic and international passengers. With the number of passengers it is handling, it is very crowded most of the time.

Husein Sastranegara has a 52-centimeter PCN (Pavement Classification Number), 2,250-meter-long (7,380 ft) runway, which can accommodate mid-size, narrow-bodied aircrafts.

The airport was built by the Dutch in early 1920s to replace the previous airfield at Sukamiskin. The new airport was named Andir for the name of the area it was built. The current name -- Husein Sastranegara -- is taken from the name of a local aviation Independence War hero.

The Andir Airport in Bandung was one of the airports/airfields on which Amelia Earhart stopped by on her famous flight around the world. She landed here on June 25, 1937 and continued her journey eastward the next day.

Biking in Bandung

Photo caption: Bikers enjoying their Sunday morning ride on Jalan Ir. H. Djuanda or Jalan Dado at the weekly event of Dago Car-Free Day when a section of the street is blocked from motorized vehicles from 6 to 10 a.m. to allow the citizens to enjoy this scenic part of their city in leisurely walk and other activities.

Biking or bicycling is increasingly becoming a popular activity among Bandung citizens. Despite this, Bandung is not a biker-friendly city. On a normal working day, it is nearly impossible for bikers to ride safely and comfortably on its streets. Traffic congestion, high level of pollution, and ruthless motorists are sure threats to their safety and comfort.

In recent years, there have been attempts to improve the condition and make the city friendlier to bikers. In 2010, the municipal government initiated a pilot project to designate and blue paint 8 kilometers of the city's existing streets for bicycle path. The project, which cost the city IDR 5 billion (approximately USD 500,000) became an embarrassment because the paint was of low quality and did not last long. Bikers were reluctant to use it because many undisciplined motorists stress-passed it and posed threat to their safety. The motorists are not to be blamed either. There is simply not enough street to motorist ratio in the city. Congestion forced them to 'invade' the biker-designated path.

Upon the initiative Ridwan Kamil of Bandung Creative City Forum (BCCF), the government also planned to have rent-bicycle pools established in strategic places throughout the city to encourage more people (citizens as well as visitors) to use bicyle. This plan, which was first implemented in September 2011 with 500 bicycles donated by private sponsors, had seemed to be going nowhere either. It is unclear what the current status of the project is.

I think it would take more than just piecemeal and patchwork projects like these to turn Bandung into a biker-friendly city. Bandung's transportation problem is much too systemic to be solved in in piecemeal fashion like these.

Give Way, Please!

Passengers trying to get off the commuter train meet -- and are blocked by -- those who are trying to get on it. Queuing and giving ways are manners that many of us are yet to learn. Unfortunately, only very little deliberate efforts have ever been made to do so. The situation is much worse with the commuter trains because the number of passengers far outnumber the available cars and trips. Out of panic, most passengers would rush to the platform as soon as the train is approaching and try to get on it before those inside can get off. It's a dangerous stampede-like experience especially for children, women, old people, and people with disabilities.

Public and mass transportation transportation system is long overdue homework for the city's government. There is virtually no working, well-coordinated, safe and convenient system of public and mass transportation system in this city.

Super Scooter

This punk-style, self-modified scooter looks astonishing, doesn't it?

Modified old scooter punk-style like this one is quite a popular statement among the members of punk communities here. Some of the modified scooters look somewhat aesthetically nice and curious like this one. But many, in many my opinion, look just like a moving trash bin. I think most of them are not safe and road-worthy either.

Driver's License Test

Like in any other countries, you need a driver's license (driving licence) to operate a motor vehicle in Indonesia.

Surat Izin Mengemudi (SIM) or driver's license is issued by the Police. To get it, you need to pass a written test and then a driving practice test.

The driving practice test is conducted both at the police station ground and on the streets. This picture shows how a motorbike rider takes the riding skills test at the police station ground.

Car Breakdown

Having an engine breakdown in the mid of a heavy traffic - like what these men were experiencing - is certainly not fun. But what can you say. It's an old car and the heavy traffic must have been too much for its ailing engine.

Delman

Delman is a horse-drawn carriage or buggy like the one pictured above.

You would probably think that delman is no longer in use as a means of transportation in a big city like Bandung. But it is. In several parts of the city, particularly on streets/roads that connect the city with its suburban areas, it is still very much in use as a popular means of transportation. The one pictured above, for example, serves the route of Cimindi and Gunung Batu area.

A delman looks like an environmentally friendly means of transportation. It burns no fuels and hence produces zero carbon emission. However, without a special lane allocated to it, it often causes a long queue of motor vehicles behind it. In small roads and during rush hours, a single slowly-moving delman can turn what is already a bad traffic into an even more annoying congestion. Hence, what on the surface looks like an environmentally friendly means of transportation can actually be a significant - albeit indirect - contributor of air pollution.

Photo by Agus Wahyudi (a freelance photographer and Bandung Daily Photo contributor).

Bandung's Trraffic Jams

Long weekends and holiday times are especially difficult times to get around in Bandung. Like I said before, traffic congestions can be very bad at those times that even the Pasupati flyover - which on a normal day would be quite free of congestion - would sometimes be jammed packed with motorists.

Holiday Aftermath

Bandung is a favorite holiday destination for local as well as regional holidaymakers. In fact, a large chunk of its economy is based on tourism and tourism-related industry. However, the city's infrastructure, especially the roads and public transportation system, can only sustain so much that during the holiday seasons, the city's streets can become so packed with motorists that in some places they can literally become jammed.

Here are a couple of pictures I took on Sunday, 2 January, the day before the long weekend and new year holiday ended. Jalan Cicendo (Cicendo street), the street that leads to Stasiun Hall - Bandung's main railway station, the airport, and Pasteur Toll Highway exit, was packed with cars trying to get out of the city.



In a situation like this, even motorcyclists can't get through and the naughtiest of them were tempted to invade the sidewalks.

On Board Argo Parahiyangan

I'm on my way to Jakarta this morning. And this is the train I'm taking: the executive class of The Argo Parahiyangan.

There used to be two train services that connected Bandung and Jakarta: Parahiyangan and the Argo Gede. Early this year, however, the Parahiyangan service was discontinued and was attached to The Argo Gede. Hence the name 'Argo Parahiyangan'.

The Indonesian railway company (PT KAI) decided to merge the services because of the steep competition it was facing from shuttle bus services that could offer better fares and faster travel time between Bandung and Jakarta since the opening of Cipularang toll highway.

This is a mobile upload. My apology if the picture quality is not that good. I took the photo with my mobile phone's 2MP camera and uploaded it right after I took it.

Becak

A becak on Jalan Kebon Jati, south of Bandung railway station.

Becak is officially banned from many parts of the city. But in this part of the city, it is still operating.

If you are into black and white or monochrome photography, you may want to check out similar posts from other participating photo bloggers at this weekly meme The Monochrome Weekly.

KRDE Rencang Geulis and Baraya Geulis

With a population density of more than 13,000 people per square kilometer (2,364,000 plus population in area of about 167 km square), Bandung shamefully does not have a good and working mass rapid transportation system. There are commuter trains, buses, taxis, ojeg (motorcycle taxi), and the notorious angkot - all of which are loosely regulated and without an apparent systematic link to one another. As a result of this, traffic congestion is an everyday experience for Bandungese and visitors as people prefer to use their own private vehicles (motorbikes and cars) to get around. This situation is made worse by hodge podge spatial arrangement and commercialization. Malls and shopping places spring up rapidly without much consideration of the potential for traffic congestions they create.

Several attempts have been made to upgrade the city's mass transportation system. All of them failed because of the lack of funding and the pressure of interest groups - such as those of Angkot owners and operators - who are gaining advantage from the current situation.

In this situation, the launching of KRDE (Electric Diesel Train) Rencang Geulis commuter train in April this year is a good news. This clean and comfortable train that serves Cibatu - Bandung - Padalarang route is part of PT KAI (Indonesian Railway Company) efforts to help reduce traffic congestions in the greater Bandung area and provide better services for its commuter customers. Earlier, PT KAI had also launched KRDE Baraya Geulis that serves the route Cicalengka - Bandung - Padalarang, and Bumi Geulis that serves Bogor - Sukabumi.

As good as they, Baraya Geulis and Rencang Geulis are not a long term solution for the city's dire transportation system. For one, the commuter trains only serves points along the East - West axis of Bandung metropolitan area. They also have limited scedules and capacities. Baraya Geulis, for example, only runs twice a day during the peak hours and with a capacity of only 650 passangers.

By the way, Rencang Geulis are Sundanese words that mean "beautiful friend".

Photo caption:
The top photo is the interior view of KRDE Rencang Geulis commuter train.

Forbidden Street Conversation

This snapshop snapshot showing some of our citizens' street behavior is part of my street documentation series.

I took the photo at Ledeng area in the north of Bandung a couple of days ago.

Road Accident

There was a road accident at the Padaleunyi toll road on my way to work yesterday morning. I don't know what actually happened and if there were any casualties. But the traffic was quite snarled for a few kilometers. I took several photos from my car window as I moved slowly passed it. This is one of them.

A Smiling Bus

When the traffic is bad, it pays to learn to smile and not let it eat you up from the inside.

It was a hot day and the traffic was heavy when I was driving out of the city to visit some relatives. But the smiley face painted behind this bus reminded me that a smile would just make things easier to bear.

Lebaran (Eid ul Fitr) Travel

Tomorrow (Sept 20, 2009) moslems in Indonesia as are those throughout the world are going to celebrate Eid ul Fitr or Lebaran as it is popularly called here.

Lebaran is the largest and most festive holiday here, probably comparable to Christmas in many other parts of the world. (Christmas is also a big holiday here but not as big as Eid ul Fitr.)

One of the most important traditions of the Lebaran is that people would visit their parents, families, and relatives to ask for their forgiveness and improve ties. For those who live in the cities, this means traveling back to their hometowns and villages. Done by a huge number of people at about the same time, the travel imposes a huge logistical burden on the country's public transportation system which, I must admit, is not in a very good shape. Train tickets would normally be sold out a month ahead of the holiday, so are bus, airline, and ship tickets.

Those who have cars would travel with them. Others would just try about anything to get to their destinations, including riding motorbikes and other means of transportation like trucks and bajaj (a three-weeler motorbike taxi).

Vespa MP3 250

I snapped this photo on the road side parking of Jalan Braga sometime ago.

Vespa MP3 250 is a real beauty among the ordinary motorbikes and scooters parked beside her.

As the name indicates, MP3 250 is packed with 244.3 cc single cylinder QUASAR 4 stroke engine that enables it to comfortably run at 120 kilometers per hour. It is also equipped with CVT automatic transmission which makes it easier to handle in frequently congested city traffic. Its emission and exhaust noise, according to its manufacturer, is also quite environmentally-friendly. It meets Euro 3 standard. The price tag, however, is not very friendly to many Indonesian motorbike and scooter users. Priced at about IDR 110 million (USD 11,000) this Vespa model is about 4 times more expensive than its Japanese counterparts with the same engine capacity. But for fashion and comfort, I don't think I would mind paying more for this beauty.

Bike To Work Indonesia

I found this bicyle with a logo of Bike to Work Indonesia at the basement parking of my office at The Faculty of Language and Arts Education of the Indonesia University of Education, Bandung sometime ago.

Bike to Work Indonesia or Komunitas Pekerja Bersepeda Indonesia (Indonesian Bike-to-Work Community) began with a group of mountain bikers who was concerned with the increasing number of motor vehicles and the deterioration of air quality in Jakarta.

To popularize the idea of biking to work, the group organized their first campaign to bike to work on August 6, 2004. The campaign was quite successful that the idea attracted quite a significant and growing number of followers. About a year later, on August 27, 2005, they officially declared the movement and organization. The organization's goal is to campaign for the use of bicycles as an alternative mode of transportation for the day to day activities.

Up until 2008, the organization claimed that it had more than 5,000 registered members in 23 chapters throughout Indonesia.

On Board Parahiyangan Train

This is the view on board the Executive Class of Parahyangan train that serves Bandung - Jakarta - Bandung route.

There are three classes of trains that serve Bandung - Jakarta - Bandung route. They are The Argo Gede (First Class), Parahyangan Executive Class, and Parahyangan Business Class. The Argo Gede runs 6 trips per day (8 trips at the weekend). Parahyangan - both the Executive and Business Classes, which are on the same trains, - runs 6 trips per day with an additional trip scheduled when necessary. Bandung - Jakarta vv train trips normally take about 3 hours and 10 minutes.

For a complete Bandung-Jakarta-Bandung train schedule and fares, you may refer to the website of PT Kereta Api Indonesia (PT KAI). PT KAI, by the way, is a state-owned company and the only train operator in Indonesia.