Indonesia: Call for Moratorium on New Roads, Car Sales as Traffic Worsens

Lenny Tristia Tambun & Fana FS Putra, Jakarta Globe, 4 Oct 13;

The Jakarta administration is being urged to implement a moratorium on private vehicle sales and road construction to prevent the city from suffering gridlock.

“We have issued two recommendations to ease the traffic congestion, suggesting there should be a push and pull strategy,” Ahmad Safrudin, a member of the coalition Transportation Demand Management (TDM) said on Thursday.

The “push” strategy, he said, should be done by restricting the number of private vehicle sales in Jakarta.

Ahmad said the Jakarta administration should be brave enough to take drastic measures to stop congestion from worsening.

He said the government should reconsider the low-cost green car project (LCGC) because it would exacerbate the city’s traffic problems.

The administration should also stop building more roads because it encourages residents to buy more vehicles.

“There should be real action to restrict private vehicles for the next few years while an electronic road pricing system [ERP]should be implemented immediately,” he said.

Ahmad also called on the city to increase parking tariffs

Regarding “pull” strategies, Ahmad said the government needs to provide a reliable mass public transport system while at the same time building more sidewalks.

Ellen Tangkudung, secretary general of the nongovernmental Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI), said an ERP system was a much better proposition than the odd-even traffic scheme that had been suggested.

Ellen said the ERP system was more comprehensive. Not only would it limit the amount of vehicles entering the zones it covered, the money raised could be used to improve public transport.

However, she said, the ERP system by itself would not be enough. It must be supported by an electronic registration and identification system (ERI), a real-time data system which could be used to overcome traffic-related problems in the capital, such as congested roads, violations, accidents and vehicle-related crimes.

An ERI system would be able to limit the number of vehicles through electronic law enforcement. The system entails installing a series of gantries that carry a sensor platform of cameras, scanners and digital detectors to monitor traffic flow.

Ellen also echoed Ahmad’s sentiment that the city should stop building more roads because the policy doesn’t work.

A survey conducted by MTI found the 5-kilometer elevated road stretching from Antasari to Blok M in south Jakarta had not eased traffic in the area, especially during the rush hour.

“So it’s obvious building elevated roads is not the solution. On the contrary, it has created new choke points,” she said.

Meanwhile Jakarta’s efforts to crack down on illegal parking by using pliers to pull out the air valves of vehicles obstructing traffic has been gaining support.

Jakarta Transportation Council (DTKJ) chairman Azas Tigor Nainggolan praised the move, saying deflating tires would be a much more effective measure to prevent illegal parking compared to wheel padlocking.

Azas said the policy should be vigorously imposed on public and private vehicles.

City officials have also been revoking permits of public minivan drivers who had been breaking the law by parking and stopping for passengers in prohibited areas.

Udar Pristono, head of the Jakarta city transportation agency, said that now, as a first warning, officials would deflate the tires of minivans which violated regulations and record the driver’s details.

Repeat offenders would have their licenses revoked, he added.