Roads that are supposed to provide access to traffic have in fact become too slow and perilous to use. Not only do the severe road conditions delay travel, but they frequently cause accidents, claiming lives.
Ironically, although the community has conveyed their aspirations to the local government, the results fall short of expectations. Big trucks with tens of tons of cargo (overloaded) often run down the roads, further damaging them.
2021 data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS) categorizes road network length based on the administrative authority. The district/city roads are the longest, stretching for 446,787 km, with an increase of 1,702 km (0.38 percent) compared to 2021 (445,085 km). The state roads are 47,071 km long, while roads under the provincial government reach 54,557 km.
By region, East Java Province has the most extended road network, with 42,422 km, followed by North Sumatra with 40,910 km, South Sulawesi with 30,644 km, Central Java with 30,819 km and West Java with 28,218 km.
Based on Ministerial Decree of Public Works and Public Housing 430/KPTS/M/2022, the national non-toll road network reaches 47,763.20 km, consisting of 27,320.34 km of the primary road network (JAP) and 20,442.66 km of the primary collector road-1 (JKP-1). Meanwhile, the currently operating toll road network stretches for 2,460.69 km, comprising Sumatra (672.70 km), Java (1,632.63 km), Kalimantan (97.27 km), Bali (10.07 km) and Sulawesi (48. 03km).
Public transport
Damaged roads are mainly caused by three factors: construction that does not comply with technical specifications, overloaded and over-dimensional trucks and flawed drainage construction. Well-built roads alone do not necessarily improve people’s welfare. Public transport facilities must also be available.
Public transportation facilities must be able to accommodate people and cargo, because some people, often called collectors, may exploit the lack of facilities in the regions by buying local commodities at the lowest possible prices. If that happens, people living in the frontier, outermost and underdeveloped (3T) regions will suffer more.
After over a year, the roads in Liang Melas Datas, Karo Regency, finally got rehabilitated, reviving agriculture in the area. Fertilizers became less expensive, whereas prices of agricultural products improved. The road repair project has only covered 24 km of the 38 km targeted.