Exploring Ideas For Sustainable Transportation Systems

Building a sustainable transportation system is no longer just a priority for megacities; it has become integral for all municipalities, big and small, as citizens nowadays are more mobile. With modern technologies, prospects for an improved, inclusive transportation system that can boost productivity while considering environmental health concerns have increased. In our recent Research Dive for Development on Transportation that took place on November 19–22, a group of researchers and academics got together over three days to explore and find ways to meet those possibilities.

Particularly important for Jakarta, a city notorious for its big population and traffic congestion, this research sprint aimed to extract insights to improve traffic management for efficient mobility and security. Among the 16 participants were professionals with experience in civil engineering and urban planning. They dissected and analysed several datasets, including toll data, traffic CCTV data, public transportation, and geotagged social media data to name a few.

The head of Indonesia’s Toll Road Regulatory Agency under The Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (Kementerian Pekerjaan Umum dan Perumahan Rakyat), Mr. Herry T. Zuna, was a guest speaker during the event. During his presentation, he shared the agency’s plan to build an intelligent transport system geared towards enhancing highway transportation network capacity.

As customary, the research dive also featured a series of presentations from the research advisors in a mini workshop, as well as final presentations from the participants. Below is the rundown of the presentations and focus areas:

Mini Workshop

• Professor Ofyar Z. Tamin, Bandung Technology Institute (ITB) & Sumatera Technology Institute (ITERA): Integrated Urban Public Transport System: Solutions for Large Cities in Indonesia
• Dr. Renni Anggraini, M.Eng, Universitas Syiah Kuala (Unsyiah): A Study of Household Activity-Travel Behaviour
• Dr. Muhammad Nanang Prayudyanto, GIZ and Institute for Transportation and Development Program: Scene of Transportation in Indonesia

Final Presentations

• Group 1 — Modelling Highway Traffic Based on Toll Data: an analysis of the correlation between types of toll system and the amount of revenue.
• Group 2 — Understanding Irregular Traffic Patterns from Traffic Condition Reports: a study of the link between traffic condition and incident reports.
• Group 3 — Estimating Traveling Time from Social Media Data: a research on the reliability of using geotagged social media data to estimate travel time.
• Group 4 — Analysing Traffic Connectivity & Efficiency of Public Transportation: an assessment of Jakarta’s public transportation system coverage area to identify efficient routes based on passengers’ walking distance.

On the closing day ahead of the final presentations, Mr. Tonny Agus Setiono, Head of Sub-Directorate Planning Programme of The Greater Jakarta Transportation Management Agency (Badan Pengelola Transportasi Jabodetabek) discussed aspects of the agency’s transportation development plan for Greater Jakarta, as well as the benefits of Big Data to transportation systems. In addition, he acknowledged the potential utility of the findings from the research conducted, especially as they relate to informing strategies and government policies on transportation.

Details of the research methodologies and results from each group’s analysis will be shared in a separate blog, along with the forthcoming technical report. In the meanwhile, please click here to access the technical reports from past research dives, including ones from earlier this year on statistics for the sustainable development goals and trade and competitiveness.

Pulse Lab Jakarta is grateful for the generous support of the Government of Australia.