Bali’s Governor, I Wayan Koster, has announced that he plans to build rail-based public transportation to alleviate traffic congestion in Badung and Denpasar Regency and is cooperating with the Jakarta government and PT MRT Jakarta to do so, according to reporting from Tempo.
Koster expressed gratitude to Jakarta’s Acting Governor Heru Budi Hartono for the partnership after visiting Jakarta to sign a cooperation agreement with the Jakarta government and PT MRT Jakarta.
According to Koster, Bali must learn from Jakarta regarding public transportation services. Having a 5,646-square kilometer area and a population of 4.3-million, or a population density of 700-people per square kilometer, rail-based transportation is necessary in a bid to ease gridlocks, citing “tourist areas such as Badung and Denpasar, especially Kuta and Sanur until Ubud, [as being] highly congested.”
The development of public transportation is expected to make Bali a comfortable destination for both domestic and foreign tourists. In 2019, Koster said 17-million foreign nationals visited the island say Tempo.
“Bali is also a place for national and international events, so we have to provide good public services,” he added.
Head of the Bali Transportation Agency IGW Samsi Gunarta said the feasibility study for the Light Rail Transit (LRT) project in the province will be completed this year. The city administration will then discuss the financing, report Tempo.
Gunarta said that the LRT will stretch a total of 9.4-kilometers. The agency has conducted a feasibility study for the route from Kuta Central Parking until Seminyak and will launch a similar study for the route from I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport to Kuta Central Parking.
Source: Tempo
Photo by Nalau Nobel on Unsplash
