BandungBergerak.id – “Auto-strade”, a special road for cars and trucks was introduced by Italy in 1924. Italy introduced a special road, which even motorcycles were not allowed to cross, connecting Milan with Lakes Varese, Maggiore and Como. The King of Italy himself officially opened the road. The road he opened was a special road connecting Milan and Varese Lake for 48 kilometers (Deli Courant, 22 October 1924).

The road is wide and the asphalt is smooth. A dream road for vehicle owners because they can drive at high speed. However, cars and trucks couldn't just pass by because they had to pay a toll to use the road.

The concept of "auto-strade", which we now know as toll roads, was not built by the state. Private companies raised capital, borrowing money from banks, to build roads that cost much more than what it would have cost to build ordinary roads. The money collected from road users was used to cover the capital.

De locomotief newspaper of August 11, 1930 mentions a number of Italian companies that built the road. Among them was Societa Milano-Laghi, which built the "auto-strade" with a capital of 50 million Lira and met the cost of building the road with a loan of 40 million Lira. The state provided a guarantee so that the banks would lend the money. "Milarto-Bergamo" and "Napoli-Pompeji" followed suit.

Italy's decision to let private companies build roads at such a high cost was met with scorn because the country's economy had not recovered from the war. However, the result was the opposite. The companies operating the "auto-strade" have earned at least 1 million Lira each since they started operating the paid expressways.

It didn't take long for Italy's auto-strades to catch the world's attention. It is not uncommon for travelers from abroad to deliberately come to Italy to try out the road. De Sumatra Post newspaper dated June 15, 1926 tells the experience of a Dutchman who deliberately tried out the road by taking a bus service from Milan to Camo. The bus he was riding was going fast, with a speed that even beat the train.

"The road is wide enough to pass each other in three or four rows; any desired speed can be developed without danger from pedestrians or other vehicles. The side streets do not end there. Where there is an intersection, the existing road is laid over the expressway or passed under it. The toll at the entrance to this automobile paradise is the only one that is happily paid," wrote De Sumatra post (June 15, 1926).

A number of countries in Europe are interested in having a similar expressway. No exception to the Netherlands. The Bataviaasch nieuwsblad newspaper dated November 8, 1932 reported that the Netherlands announced plans to build the first "auto-strade" (the term was later simplified to "autostrada") which crossed a number of places including Diepenheim, Twente Canal, Rijlesstraatweg, and Goor.

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Autostrada between Bandung and Batavia

The autostrada has fascinated the world. The fame also spread to the Dutch East Indies. Hugo Jozias de Dreu, a school principal who later made a career as a politician until he was appointed a member of the Volksraad, came up with the idea of building an "autostrada" from Bandung to Batavia.

The Bataviaasch nieuwsblad newspaper of August 12, 1933 reported the proceedings of the Volksraad meeting the day before. During the meeting, which was discussing the conflict between the governor of West Java and the Burgerlijke Openbare Werken (BOW, or Ministry of Public Works), H.J. de Dreu suddenly proposed to build an autostrada connecting Bandung and Batavia.

Dreu said the road would cut the Bandung-Batavia travel time from four hours by train to just two hours. Dreu calculated that the road could be built in 5 years, and the investment could be paid off in 40 years. The work could involve tens of thousands of people, both Europeans and natives.

BOW Director J.A.M. van Buuren, who was present at the Volksraad meeting that day, immediately refused. He argued that Bandung-Batavia was adequately servedby two train trips and one airplane flight to connect the two places. The money needed to build it was also too large if it had to be financed by government funds.

"The government has taken note of the suggestion and will not withhold its interest," Buuren said at the Volkraad meeting (Bataviaasch nieuwsblad, August 12, 1933).

Dreu was persistent with his idea. He argued that such a large project would attract investors, as well as solve the problem of unemployment by providing large employment opportunities.

Other Volksraad members were split. Thamrin, for example, agreed, and proposed that the idea be decided as an amendment. Führi agreed, but doubted the plan could be executed. Soangkoepon was interested because such a large project would reduce unemployment. Van Mook was pessimistic. Then Ratulangi asked that the proposal be brought up in a general debate.

Buuren, representing the BOW Department, still stood his ground. 

Dreu's idea was finally decided by a vote. The result was a tie. The Council decided to discuss it again at the next meeting.

Bandoeng Vooruit Support

The idea raised by Dreu at the Volksraad meeting sparked the attention of many people. Especially vehicle owners who dreamed of being able to drive their cars on the freeway at full speed through Bandung-Batavia in just two hours.

The Bandoeng Vooruit or Bandung Maju Association, which consisted of representatives of Bandung's middle class as well as government representatives in the city, was among those who supported the idea. The association, led by W.H. Hoogland, an engineer and Director of Bank Denis (De Nederlandsch Indische Spaarks), had always supported eccentric ideas for the development of Bandung. The group financed the construction of Jalan Tangkubanparahu, a paid road for car users to reach the twin craters of Mount Tangkubanparahu. The group was also preparing a similar road to the top of Mount Papandayan (Bataviaasch nieuwsblad, October 6, 1933).

Bandoeng Vooruit's support was expressed in a lengthy article published in the September 1933 edition of the travel magazine Mooi Bandoeng. The content was roughly as described below:

The road had to be wide enough, designed without obstructions, to cover the 130-kilometer distance in just 2 hours. The cost of building it was estimated at 19 million guilders to be done in 5 years (thousands of people could get jobs during the construction period). Cars and trucks passing through would have to pay a modest toll of 2.5 Gulden, assuming 500 vehicles a year, the money raised would exceed 900,000 Gulden. By calculating the interest rate reduction every year, the construction cost can be paid off in 40 years. All the materials to build the road were available in the Dutch East Indies. Vehicle owners would be happy to pay the toll because it is more economical, cheap and practical to travel quickly just 2 hours from Bandung to Batavia rather than using a train that takes 4 hours, or even an airplane (because the airport is on the outskirts of the city).

Bandung also deserved the road first as it was believed that the city would develop into a major city in the Dutch East Indies. The government was naturally pessimistic about the idea because it came out of the blue and there was not enough time to calculate the details. The government also had to seriously consider the route of the road so that it could be as straight as possible to cut travel time.

"We conclude that the idea is quite capable of being realized.    No doubt the government will give it its full attention," wrote Bandoeng Vooruit in the September 1933 issue of Mooi Bandoeng.

All that remained was for the Volksraad to make a final decision on Dreu's Bandung-Batavia autostrada idea. It was only a year later that the Volksraad discussed it again.

The Bataviaasch nieuwsblad newspaper of August 4, 1934 reported the proceedings of the Volksraad meeting the day before. De Dreu again put forward his proposal to build the special road, but he was not as insistent as in previous meetings. He proposed that existing government funds should be used to build small-scale housing, or roads. None of his colleagues supported his idea. The dream of a Bandung-Batavia expressway was extinguished.

The website of the Toll Road Regulatory Agency (BPJT) of the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing reports that Indonesia had its first freeway in 1978. Namely the Jagorawi Toll Road which connects Jakarta, Bogor and Ciawi along 59 kilometers. Since then, Indonesia has started building toll roads in its various regions. In April 2005, with the operation of the Cipularang toll road inaugurated by President Soesilo Bambang Yudhoyono, it finally completed the series of toll roads connecting Bandung to Jakarta. The toll road was first used by dozens of heads of state delegates to the 50th Asia-Africa Conference to Bandung.

* Translated from this article by Khumaira Birru Al Walidain.