UNAIR NEWS – Surabaya is currently named as the most congested city in Indonesia. It cannot be separated from the status of Surabaya as a metropolitan city where the majority of the work activities of the people and its surroundings are centered in the City of Heroes.
Prof. Dr. Purnawan Basundoro, S.S., M.Hum as an Expert of Urban History said that Surabaya has been a metropolis for a long time. “Precisely since the beginning of the 20th century, Surabaya has become the center of community activities at that time,” he said.
However, the congestion in Surabaya at that time was not like it is now. “In the past, people rarely used private transportation,” added Prof. Purnawan. Public transportation was still the choice of the majority of people at that time, so there were not so many vehicles on the streets.
Nowadays, as Prof. Purnawan observed, many people prefer private transportation. This choice is based on a variety of reasons.
“Finally, the number of private transportations increases and accumulates on the streets, resulting in traffic congestion in Surabaya as it is today. The condition used to be different. Not everyone had a private vehicle, except the colonizers,” said Prof. Purnawan.
Solutions to Surabaya Congestion
In order to overcome the increasingly severe congestion, Prof. Purnawan said it is necessary to limit the purchase of private transportation or vehicles. Thus, the number of vehicles on the road will decrease, and traffic congestion will be solved more easily.
“The government needs to limit the sale of private vehicles. In addition, the government also needs to provide public transportation to all areas of Surabaya equally. Furthermore, the main roads in Surabaya must be widened in order to relieve congestion,” explained Prof. Purnawan.
If these solutions are not implemented immediately, it is not impossible that Surabaya’s traffic congestion will increase. The progress of the times and the city will make community activities increase. “If it is not balanced with the restrictions on vehicles on the road, it will be more congested,” said Prof. Purnawan.
Need for Review
Even though it is congested, according to Prof. Purnawan, Surabaya will not necessarily be named the most congested city in Indonesia. There needs to be a review regarding aspects of congestion in Surabaya.
“Not all areas in Surabaya are congested. In addition, traffic congestion usually only occurs at certain hours. For example, in the morning, people go to work. In the afternoon, many people come home from work,” concluded the Lecturer of the History Study Program, Faculty of Humanities, Universitas Airlangga (FIB UNAIR), who also serves as the Dean of FIB UNAIR.
Author: Fauzia Gadis Widyanti
Editor: Khefti Al Mawalia
