“This water taxi is an alternative to reduce congestion. Other programs will also run to reduce traffic in Bali, especially from the airport to tourist destinations, such as Canggu,” Secretary of the ministry’s Directorate General of Sea Transportation Lollan Andy Sutomo Panjaitan said on Tuesday.
According to Panjaitan, the water taxi plan, designed as a water transport system, is an alternative solution to ease traffic jams for tourists traveling to Canggu from I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport.
Based on current progress, the ministry said it believes that bureaucratic processes need to be accelerated, where synchronization between central and regional programs has been established.
To implement the idea, permits will need to be obtained from other institutions, such as environmental permits and marine spatial utilization permits, Panjaitan pointed out.
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“Most importantly, we must be able to produce a comprehensive study shortly. In-depth studies are needed, covering technical, economic, and sociocultural aspects,” he emphasized.
These aspects are interconnected, particularly technical elements like sea contours, the location of natural features, and the potential impact on the development plan, he added.
From an economic perspective, a more in-depth assessment is needed to determine whether construction and operational costs can be met to maintain the program’s sustainability in the future.
Another important matter is the sociocultural aspect since Bali needs to consider aligning regional policies on religious sites and other mandatory regulations.
“All of these require continued coordination to fulfill this comprehensive study,” Panjaitan said.
Earlier, a Light Rail Transit (LRT) project was also being discussed to accommodate passenger movement from and to the I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport.
With no LRT, an accumulation of passengers is predicted by 2026, considering that the airport serves around 24 million passengers annually.
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Translator: Aji Cakti, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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