Record number of tickets issued

The Jakarta Post, JAKARTA | Mon, 03/16/2009 11:42 AM  

The city police recorded 21,388 traffic violations during the first five days of a six-day operation intended to curb reckless driving in the city.  

The operation, code-named Patuh Jaya, initially aimed at punishing violations by motorcyclists and public transportation drivers, but later expanded its scope to offending private motorists, city police traffic chief Sr. Comr. Condro Kirono said. 

The operation was held between March 8 and 14.

As of Friday, the police had ticketed 11,801 motorcyclists, 1,404 drivers of private cars and 8,183 public transport operators, including drivers of minivans, minibuses and buses. No data was immediately available on the results of Saturday’s operation.

The violators breached various regulations,  Condro said.

Some motorcyclists were caught wearing substandard safety helmets, some had none at all. 

“We also stopped those who ignored traffic signs and traffic lights and some who made a sudden switch of lanes so as to harm other road users,” he said.

“During the operation, we imposed stern sanctions, tougher than what we did in previous operations,” he claimed.

He earlier said that he had deployed the best traffic police officers to ensure that no officers would accept bribes and ensure the effectiveness of the operation.

The police also recorded 121 traffic accidents, including 24 serious ones, which claimed 19 lives during operation Patuh Jaya.

The police also seized 424 motorcycles after their riders failed to produce a drivers license (SIM) or vehicle ownership letter (STNK).

The operation was conducted ahead of the official election campaign period, which will  kick off Tuesday; traffic violations are expected to soar.

During that period, supporters of political parties are allowed to tour the capital in motorcades. 

In the past, the motorcades have ignored traffic signs and supporters have often sat on the rooftops of buses or in the tray of trucks. In 2004, the city police recorded 18.979 traffic violations during the 20-day campaign period. Most of the violations involved the campaign supporters. In the 1999 elections, the police reported 29 traffic accidents, which claimed 11 lives during the campaign period.

Chairman of the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI) Bambang Susantono said that the operation was only a warm-up for the police and called on them to do patrol more intensively.   

“The road users must realize that their recklessness in the road may harm other people,” he said.

To avoid traffic congestions and disruptions to public order, the Jakarta Election Commission has restricted campaigning on the city’s  main thoroughfares. 

Among the restricted streets are Jl. Thamrin, Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara, Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur, Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan, Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat, Jl. Diponegoro and Jl. Imam Bonjol. (hwa)