Jakarta Governor Says Out With Old Cars

Jakarta Globe, Deti Mega Purnamasari, Jan 09, 2015

Vehicles are caught in a traffic jam in Jakarta. (Reuters Photo/Beawiharta)

Jakarta. Indonesia’s capital is planning to limit access to the city’s roads for ageing vehicles by slapping heftier taxes on those that have passed a certain age.

“We don’t want the same kind of [traffic] policies that are implemented in Singapore or China — they are too harsh,” Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama said at City Hall on Friday.

Singapore car owners are required to buy a certificate of entitlement that is valid for only 10 years, despite the fact that a personal vehicle can operate safely for longer, up to 17 years. Cars that have reached their 10-year expiration date are scrapped. Then there is the additional registration fee, which ranges from 75 percent to 100 percent of the car’s market value depending on its age.

Basuki said a slightly more lenient policy was needed in Jakarta to reduce air pollution and accidents. The regulation, he said, would also force some car and motorcycle owners to leave their vehicles at home and switch to public transport.

“Our economy is not as advanced [as Singapore] so we will allow [people to have older cars],” he said. “But we want a vehicle’s age to be limited to, let’s say, 10 years.”

“We are still working out the details of the regulation.”

An alternative would be to bar older vehicles from entering Jakarta’s major thoroughfares, Basuki added, particularly those streets where the planned electronic road pricing scheme will be applied. Officials say the ERP could be up and running as early as January 2016.

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Basuki Targets Wider Motorcycle Ban in Jakarta

Electronic toll collection system introduced as of January 2009

Jakarta,  (ANTARA News) - Some toll roads in Jakarta will start using the Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) system starting the third week of January 2009. 

"So far, the simulation of using the system has been held in some toll roads. The system is expected to be used publicly starting the third week of January 2009," operations director of toll road operator PT Jasa Marga, Adityawarman, said on Friday. 

The operators involved in the new toll payment system are PT. Jasa Marga, PT. Citra Marga Nusapala Persada, PT. Marga Mandala Sakti and PT. Bintaro Serpong Damai. 

The preparations have been done by each of the operators. Some 20 from a total 40 soon-to-be-installed equipment have been installed for the city`s inner ring roads. 

"We have installed the devices at the Cililitan and Semanggi toll gates, to name some," he added. 

The total 400 equipment will be installed by the end of January 2009 and in the third week of the month, the system can be used publicly. 

The use of the electronic cards, said Adityawarman, is to shorthen transactions from seven to four seconds. 

As for other toll road routes, like the Jakarta-Cikampek and Jakarta-Ciawi toll roads, the use of the system is still waiting for the open system.

Mass transportation system still in the work

Mustaqim Adamrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakartans might agree that crawling along, hour after hour, trapped in traffic is the major urban living issue of the year, with the busway being the subject of the hour.

But the Jakarta administration says it has a remedy for the exasperating traffic situation -- a macro transportation framework.

Since experts in 2004 drew up a comprehensive plan for moving people and goods about the city -- the Transporation Framework -- Jakarta has been expecting something big to happen.

The framework is a grand 10-year plan for an integrated transportation system that, it is hoped, will ameliorate chronic traffic congestion and stave off gridlock -- predicted by 2014.

The framework comprises busways, a water taxi, rail-based transportation, a monorail, and a subway, as well as roads linking them together in an integrated system.

Transportation experts have clearly stated that without a public transportation system none of the world's big cities can go on functioning correctly.

As the cheapest mass transportation method the administration has ever built, the busway has drawn applause but also criticism.

The fact sheet says the number of commuters using the busway has increased since its first year of operation, abreast with the growing number of busway corridors: from 15.94 million in 2004, to 20.8 million in 2005 and 38.83 million in 2006, according to busway operator TransJakarta. TransJakarta 2007 will see 59.44 million riders use the busway seven routes.

On the ugly side, apparently the busway has done little to ease congestion because it hasn't been an attractive choice for most motorists. Fewer-than-needed buses and "huge" operational costs have been blamed for poor service, which in turn holds back popularity.

"A project will become a milestone only if we have both good planning and implementation," says Soetanto Soehodho, a transportation expert at the University of Indonesia's Center for Transportation Studies. "The busway plan is excellent. The entangling problems are in the implementation."

The administration is constructing three new busway lanes that are expected to be finished by Dec. 15. The construction has resulted in even worse congestion. Temporary relief was given to motorists when they were allowed to use certain sections of busway lanes in November. The policy, however, hurts busway users because it takes them longer to reach their destinations.

As Soetano suggests, one problem after another will prevent the success of transportation schemes unless they are well-planned and implemented. It is more important for the administration, he says, to evaluate and optimize the seven existing corridors than to build new ones.

Meanwhile, it seems busway progress has temporarily come to a stop -- even before all the new corridors have been rolled out. "The city budget has been available only since around May this year, while public bidding for such construction takes five to six months of preparation and three to six months for the process itself," says Budi Kuntjoro of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy. "Such condition can result in months of delays."

The presence of the busway system is not to blame for traffic delays; the presence and growing number of private vehicles that occupy 90 percent of the road space is, says Budi.

"The efficiency of private vehicles is also low as they carry only half of the total passengers."

Approximately 1.5 million cars were sold last year in Jakarta. During the first three months of this year 1.51 million cars and 3.32 motorcycles were sold.

"The number of vehicles sold every year rises by 10 percent, while the roadway expands by no more than 0.1 percent annually," he says.

Jakarta roadway is now equal to 40 square kilometers and can only accommodate -- at any one time -- only 0.01 percent of the total number of cars, according to City Public Works Agency head Wisnu Subagya Yusuf.

To help reduce traffic by limiting the use of private vehicles, electronic road pricing (ERP) is one answer, Budi says. The institute is still doing feasibility studies for a Rp 1 trillion (US$107.53 million) ERP project and hopes to have it in place by 2011.

One way or another, a working traffic system will require mass transportation, limiting the use of private vehicles and re-mapping the routes used by private motorists, says Soetanto.

However, there is always the risk that traffic jams will simply be displaced rather than eliminated. Creating new roads -- except as part of a comprehensive plan -- would only encourage the use of private vehicles and be a temporary solution says Andi Rahmah of the Indonesian Transportation Society. "Road expansion will never resolve traffic congestion."

Rules regarding ownership and use of private vehicles may be one solution, but the administration will likely choose something "safer".

As one of Indonesia's leading industries, it wouldn't be practical to impinge on auto makers," said Fauzi.

In Soetanto's opinion, limiting the use of private vehicles can be successful if "suitable mass transportation options are already available for car users ready to make the switch".

In another attempt at traffic mitigation, the administration has committed to a multi-trillion Mass Rapid Transit -- or subway -- project by 2014.

The project will unlikely be derailed at this point as the administration has been promised the approximately Rp 8.3 trillion it needs for the project in the form of soft loans by Japan Bank for International Cooperation. The project also enjoys the support of the central government.

"We have the central government on our side. Unlike the monorail project, which is handled by a private company. I guarantee this MRT project will be successful," then-deputy governor Fauzi Bowo said in August when revealing the project road map.

In the first phase, the MRT will be able to transport 400,000 commuters daily from Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, to Dukuh Atas, Central Jakarta -- 14.3 kilometers -- in only 32 minutes.

The long-delayed monorail project depends on whether there is political will to make it a reality. "It is a matter of how to attract investment, too," says Soetanto.

The administration once had an ambition to see through the $480-million monorail project. But the fate of the project is now hanging on a thread and fail entirely as neither the city nor central government has recently given any clear signs on the project.

Meanwhile, one foreign investor after another has come and left -- after finding the financial scheme offered by monorail developer PT Jakarta Monorail didn't suit them, notwithstanding central government backing. The monorail developer is suspected to be insolvent although director Sukmawaty Syukur denies the accusation.

"The monorail project has stopped because (Jakarta Monorail) doesn't have the money," said then-deputy governor Fauzi. The on-and-off project construction has left a series of idle pillars along Central and South Jakarta's main streets.

Wondering if railway-based transportation is the key to traffic mitigation, the central government and the city launched the double-track railway linking Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta and Serpong in Banten in July. The project cost the central government Rp 320 billion. The Serpong-Tanah Abang route is to be the pilot for the country's first modern railway network.

The administration is also planning to connect Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta and Soekarno-Hatta International Airport with a double-track railway.

City explores ERP traffic system

Mustaqim Adammrah, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Jakarta is being urged to follow the lead of cities like London, Stockholm and Singapore in introducing an electronic road pricing (ERP) system to ease chronic traffic congestion.

Budi Kuntjoro of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) and Darmaningtyas of the Transportation Institute (Intrans) said an ERP system would be effective in reducing Jakarta's notorious traffic.

Budi, a transportation expert and the project director at the ITDP, praised administration plans to introduce ERP.

"It's time for the administration to work on reducing traffic chaos by limiting and controlling the use of private vehicles instead of expanding the roads.

"There will never be enough roads to accommodate all the cars, even if they are continuously expanded," he said.

The city administration is making other, largely unsuccessful, attempts to ease traffic, including opening busway lanes to motorists during peak travel times.

On Tuesday, the second day motorists were allowed onto busway lanes, there was little visible difference in the traffic.

Erlangga Rismantojo, who drove along Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said through to Jl. Mampang in South Jakarta, said traffic was just as bad despite the new policy.

Budi said ERP was one solution for dealing with chronic traffic congestion and preventing the capital from coming to total gridlock by 2014.

Under the ERP system, motorists would be charged for using Jakarta's main thoroughfares.

Private vehicles account for 98 percent of all vehicles on the capital's roads, but they only transport half of all passengers, said Budi.

Darmaningtyas agreed Jakarta needed ERP, however, he questioned whether now was the right time to introduce the system.

"I believe the administration will eventually be able to implement the system, but not in a rush," he said.

He said implementing ERP would take time because the administration needed to lobby the Finance Ministry to issue the necessary regulations that would allow it to collect fees from motorists.

"On top of that, the administration will need a great deal of money," he said.

Singapore, he said, required at least Rp 6 trillion (US$654 million) for the procurement, preparation and operation of its ERP system.

Jakarta Transportation Agency deputy head Udar Pristono said the agency would complete its feasibility study for the ERP system by the end of this year, which is itself expected to cost Rp 1 trillion, Warta Kota newspaper reported Tuesday.

Darmaningtyas said the administration should first focus on optimizing the operations of all 10 busway corridors, including the three still under construction, before moving to the ERP project.

Sharing Darmaningtyas' opinion, the deputy chairman of the City Council's Commission D on development, Mukhayar, said the right time for the administration to implement the ERP system "is when all public transportation modes are giving good and decent service".

"The right time also depends on the availability of mass rapid transportation modes," he said.

The ERP system, he said, can only be applied on roads where "decent" public transportation is available.

Traffic cameras too soon for RI roads: Expert

Alvin Darlanika Soedarjo, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The idea of the Directorate General for Land Transportation to install electronic monitoring equipment to improve traffic obedience will receive cool response from the public unless the government can match-up vehicle owner identification, observers said.

Indonesian Transport Society (MTI) chairman Bambang Susantono said Friday the suggested electronic enforcement (e-enforcement) is expected to improve driver obedience and decrease accidents -- but it would not be effective by itself.

"The electronic enforcement equipment will capture the registration numbers of vehicles," Bambang said.

"But the vehicle registration (system) in Indonesia is in a mess -- so this must be first improved."

The Directorate General for Land Transportation wants to adopt e-enforcement into the new traffic bill.

But the Directorate aims to book the owner of the vehicle caught violating a traffic rule, regardless of who was driving at the time.

Bambang said using e-enforcement to catch traffic offenders before sending a ticket to the vehicle owner's home has only worked well in other countries because the vehicle administration systems in those countries is effective.

"But it's hard for local officials to trace the real owner of vehicles here," he said.

"Many people trade-in their cars or motorcycles and neglect to update the status of ownership."

"Enforcing an immediate update on a vehicle's ownership status should come before the imposition of the electronic monitoring.

"However, this project is expected to decrease accidents on the road because people feel that they are being monitored," he said.

Bambang also said the cost for electronic enforcement should be embedded in vehicle administration costs, so owners did not have to pay more.

MTI said traffic obedience in Indonesia has been better in the past.

"Vehicle drivers should be more ethical.

"People become less ethical because the roads become more congested and there is a pressurized environment for traffic violation."

Bambang said the term "pressurized environment" is used by sociologists to describe road conditions that encourage drivers to "follow a sinner" -- especially if that driver is successfully breaking traffic laws and getting away.

"The follow-the-sinner condition means someone feels they will suffer a loss if they don't follow a violator," Bambang said.

Transportation observer and former member of the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) Agus Pambagyo said sophisticated tools used for e-enforcement would be useless without immediate follow-up and a well organized booking system.

Many people get their driver's license illegally and this can create even more accidents on the road, Agus said.

"The issuer of the license, in this case the police, should also be examined to help create better traffic order," he said.

YLKI senior member Sudaryatmo said electronic enforcement would help reduce road accidents -- but basic administration issues needed to be tackled first.

"Indonesia still has a problem with compulsory vehicle safety inspection," Sudaryatmo said.

"The government must look also at the safety of public transportation in Indonesia," he said.

Road-widening probe 'cut short'

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Environmentalists have spoken out against the police's decision to call off their investigation into the city's road-widening project along Jl. Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman.

"It sets a bad precedent in upholding the Environmental Law in the capital," Jakarta Residents Forum (Fakta) chairman Azas Tigor Nainggolan said Wednesday.

The Jakarta Police on Tuesday sent Tigor a letter in his capacity as the plaintiff representing groups of environmentalists who have accused Governor Sutiyoso of failing to protect green areas in the city.

The letter, signed by Comr. Tomsi Tohir of the Special Crimes Directory's environment and resources division, said the road-widening project did not violate the Environmental Law since it had not been necessary to carry out an environmental impact analysis (Amdal) for it.

It said median strips were not part of designated green areas, while the level of pollution along the two streets had improved by 16.31 percent after the projects.

"The arguments show up inaccuracies in the police's investigation. The Environmental Law stipulates that an Amdal is a must for any project that affects an area that is more than four kilometers long," Tigor said.

The project affected 6.4 km of median strip, he said.

Members of Fakta, the Jakarta Caucus for the Environment and the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) reported Sutiyoso to police in October. Former minister for the environment Sonny Keraf is among the prominent figures in the group.

Under the Environmental Law, any party found guilty of damaging the environment, including polluting the air, could face a maximum punishment of 10 years' jail or a Rp 500 million fine.

The Jakarta administration said the project was aimed at easing traffic congestion since parts of the streets were being taken up by the busway lane.

The administration allocated Rp 30 billion for the project and removed hundreds of trees from the area.

Tubagus Haryo Karbiyanto of the caucus, who deals with transportation issues, said more private vehicle owners had been taking the streets since they were widened.

"It only benefits car owners. The projects have not reduced traffic congestion on the streets. This is why the administration needs to introduce electronic road pricing."

He said research by road construction company PT Pembangunan Jaya predicted that for every km of additional road, there would be 1,923 more cars and 3,000 motorcycles.

Caucus member Firdaus Cahyadi added that dropping the case could give the administration the license to cut down more trees along the streets to make way for its transportation projects.

"It would then be even more difficult for the administration to meet the target of 30 percent of open and green areas as required by the law on spatial planning," he said.

The administration is aiming to convert 13.94 percent or 9,544 hectares of city land into green spaces by 2010, up from 7,319 hectares or 10.7 percent in 2005.

Green spaces currently make up 5,911 hectares or 9 percent of city land.

Three-in-one policy soon to be history

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Governor Sutiyoso on Monday said Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) would replace the three-in-one policy, which has been deemed an ineffective means of controlling the traffic.

"So far, with the three-in-one policy, we have raised more problems than money. What's more, motorists flaunt the law," he told reporters at City Hall.

The policy requires motorists passing major streets during peak hours to have two passengers. However, they can always find a shortcut and hire "jockeys" or people they pick up on the roadside for a small fee.

"If the three-in-one policy is ineffective, why shouldn't we replace it with something else?" Sutiyoso said.

He said the government was in the process of studying the ERP system.

"If it were up to me, I'd bring it in immediately," said the governor, implying he would take heed of public opinion and the results of the research.

Sutiyoso said the revenue generated from the ERP would be used to subsidize public transportation so the fares would be lower.

The governor has been defending the three-in-one policy, which was brought in 1992, since he took up his post in 1997.

City transportation agency head Nurahman said the agency was working on the engineering design for the ERP.

"We are also studying the technical aspects to identify the most suitable system for Jakarta. But we are likely to go with the Singaporean system, which uses a pre-paid smart card, because it is much cheaper to operate compared to the systems in London or Hong Kong, and fits with conditions here.

"The study will be finished in a year, so hopefully by the end of the year we'll be able to start building the ERP infrastructure and the trial of the system will start in 2008," Nurahman said.

He said the trial charge zone would be the roads between Blok M, South Jakarta, and Kota, North Jakarta, on which the busway operates.

The ERP system, which is used in a number of countries including Singapore, Hong Kong, England, Germany, Austria and Belgium, requires car owners to purchase an electronic ticket to drive on main thoroughfares in the city during peak hours.

The transportation agency will work together with the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) and other related stakeholders to develop the system.

Data from ITDP shows that the number of vehicles in Jakarta grows by 11 percent per year. There are more than five million private cars in the city.