An integrated problem<\/p>\n
In the early 1980s the then Jakarta Traffic Police chief said
\nat a seminar that the capital's traffic problem was only the tip
\nof the iceberg.<\/p>\n
Two decades later -- after hundreds of similar seminars, talks
\nand discussions -- the tip of the iceberg is still there, with no
\nsign of its removal.<\/p>\n
Numerous efforts have been made by the capital's authorities
\nto ease traffic congestion by constructing roads, the most
\npopular and affordable action.<\/p>\n
We all know that new roads will not remedy the city's traffic
\nheadache, which has become more acute.<\/p>\n
Worse still, while new roads are being constructed, existing
\nroads are being inundated with new cars of various brands and
\nsizes. And there has been no action to stop it.<\/p>\n
The uncontrolled increase in the number of motorized vehicles
\non the capital's roads has long been considered one of the main
\ncauses of traffic chaos.<\/p>\n
The latest data indicates that the number of vehicles has been
\nincreasing by 10 percent per year from 1.65 million in 1990 to
\n4.16 million in 2000. While last year's record, made available by
\nthe city administration, indicated that the capital had a total
\nof 6,528 kilometers of road, including the urban turnpikes.<\/p>\n
Traffic chaos has frustrated drivers, both those driving
\nprivate cars as well as public transportation drivers. The result
\nis recklessness and indifference toward road rules, which lead to
\nviolations.<\/p>\n
Being caught in a traffic jam is a daily occurrence and it is
\ncommon to see public buses and private cars ignoring traffic
\nlights or using the wrong lanes.<\/p>\n
Many of us may, at times, feel victimized by such unscrupulous
\ndrivers, who never seem afraid of being booked by the police.<\/p>\n
Law enforcement is the key.<\/p>\n
According to Article 61 of Law No. 14\/1992 on land
\ntransportation, those found violating traffic signs are subject
\nto one year in jail or a maximum fine of Rp 1 million.<\/p>\n
Only a few traffic policemen have taken their findings from
\nthe street to the courtroom, to have the offending drivers
\nproperly punished. What usually happens is that violations are
\nsettled on the spot between the traffic police and the drivers,
\nwho have to pay a certain amount of money -- depending on the
\nlevel of seriousness of the offense, to the officer.<\/p>\n
People consider the corrupt mentality common, while officials
\nturn a blind eye to the issue.<\/p>\n
Since the government, including the city administration, has
\nfailed to halt the increase in the number of motorized vehicles
\nand eliminate corrupt law enforcers, it has promoted its
\nambitious plan to deal with the traffic: the construction of a
\nmass rapid transit (MRT) system.<\/p>\n
The plan is, to some degree, realistic, as an MRT system is
\nconsidered the best cure for the capital's traffic. But then
\nagain an MRT system could prove unrealistic.<\/p>\n
The MRT system, which is expected to transport a large number
\nof people to and from their places of work in a very short time,
\nwill be very expensive. About four years after the idea to
\nconstruct the MRT system was announced in the early 1990s, the
\ncost was estimated to be at least US$1.5 billion, a fantastic
\namount of money given that Jakarta's provincial budget in 2002
\nonly amounted to $903 million.<\/p>\n
Another factor that has drawn skepticism is the fact that
\nconstructing an MRT system in Jakarta, which houses at least 10
\nmillion people, would be extremely complicated. The space
\nrequired to support the construction of an MRT system would have
\nto be taken from residential areas, some of which are very
\ndensely populated.<\/p>\n
If the MRT project is later found to be unfeasible, people
\nwould have to use the existing transportation vehicles, including
\ntrains, which are far from comfortable and safe. For those who
\nhave their own cars, they will have no other option but use then
\nto get to their destinations.<\/p>\n
Judging from the facts, it appears that the city
\nadministration has no integrated plan to deal with the complex
\ntraffic problem. There is no integral plan to combine the
\nprovision of the most appropriate mode of transportation and to
\nimprove law enforcement.<\/p>\n
It is doubtful that the capital's traffic problems will be
\ncured within the next decade. This is because officials and law
\nenforcers, as well as drivers -- all who should have demonstrated
\ntheir best and worked together to solve these complicated
\nproblems -- are, in fact, part of the confusion. What we actually
\nhave is not an integrated plan, but an integrated problem.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/an-integrated-problem-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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