YOGYAKARTA- Population of bike users in Yogyakarta is quite potential. In this province, the number of bicycle users among students reaches 223,624 people while members of faculty is 21,853 people. This does not include employees. Some campuses in Yogyakarta, such as UGM, UNY, UII, and UIN Sunan Kalijaga, also occupy large areas.
The campus areas are averagely controlled (under authority) and there are relatively few external factors involved. Therefore, use of bicycles on campus, especially at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), can cause effects that are not limited to the internal areas of the campus only, but also the community around the campus. "Optimizing the campus bike will also increase the visibility of users, also appealing to policy makers (politicians) to provide support," a researcher of UGM Center for Transportation and Logistics Studies (Pustral), Juhri Iwan Agriawan, said at Monthly Discussion titled Bicycle Transportation Development on Campus on Thursday (29/9).
Iwan added that the students and campus community can serve as a great promoter of the program because of the ability of producing information in the media, such as the Internet, mass media etc. Iwan who also serves as Chairman of the Planning Team of UGM Campus Bicycles explained that the use of about 200 bikes on the UGM campus shows the low internal trips between zones, ranging from 0.135 trips/ person. Meanwhile, internal trips made within UGM are 5,776, while trips from east to west campuses and vice versa are 2,891.
"It is still less than one trip within one zone. In addition, there are many non-UGM traffics," he said.
Campus bike program at UGM is open for development, especially that the city of Yogyakarta has also conducted the Segosegawe program (biking to school and work). This step will also increasingly provide support for the development of campus bicycle program at UGM. At present, at least more than 100 cyclist groups are involved with more than 3,200 members.
Meanwhile, in the discussion also emerged some inputs for the development of UGM campus bicycle. Dyo, a student of Civil Engineering Department in Vocational School class 2009 hoped the bike track, especially at Vocational School area, could be changed so bikers do not have to go around. The UGM eastern campus is considered quite dangerous because it crosses Kaliurang Road that is relatively congested.
"Because of the busy traffic and many people are speeding up, we are afraid to cross the road when riding a bike," Dyo said.
Adisupo, one of journalists who often rides on UGM campus, hoped that cyclists can be given the facility to improve safety and comfort. He mentioned the duration to borrow a bike is only limited to 30 minutes, which is too short.
Different from Mayong, lecturer of Faculty of Forestry, he hoped that UGM campus bike administrator can keep the spirit for academic community to remain energetic cycling every day throughout the years.
Responding to some of these inputs, the staff of Directorate of Asset Management and Maintenance of UGM, Aminudin Arhab, said that the bicycle program at UGM campus will continue to be developed whether it is about the number of bicycles, track, duration of borrowing, parking arrangement, etc.