Congestion rates for Jakarta?<\/p>\n
Going through traffic in Jakarta will eventually become even
\nworse. Some day, when the planned subway has become operational,
\nprivate cars taking Jakarta's main thoroughfares will be subject
\nto taxation. This plan is part of the efforts being made to
\nrestrict the use of private cars in order to reduce congestion.
\nAnyone driving a private car along certain streets at certain
\nhours of the day will have to show proof that he or she has paid
\ntaxes which are known in traffic management circles as congestion
\nrates.<\/p>\n
This method of lessening traffic is already practiced in a
\nnumber of advanced counties. In Singapore, for example, there are
\nthe restricted zones, which are usually found around the city
\ncenter. The hope is that this will discourage people from using
\nprivate cars in the city center, thereby helping to avoid traffic
\ncongestion.<\/p>\n
The question is, would congestion rates be effective in
\nJakarta? Jakarta is built according to a concentric plan. The
\ncenters of public activity are located mainly in the central
\nparts of the city. As we can observe, all the major shopping
\nareas as well as the recreation and business areas are spread out
\nin the center of the city. As a consequence, traffic also is
\nconcentrated in the city center, which is thus prone to
\ncongestion. In other words, traffic jams in Jakarta are not
\nsolely the result of an imbalance between the number of cars and
\nstreets available; they are also a result of the fact that the
\nplanning of the city is not done in an integrated manner.<\/p>\n
Another factor -- and this is one which distinguishes us from
\nadvanced countries -- is that our public transportation system is
\nallowed to develop in a wild and most inhuman manner. As a
\nresult, those who can afford it prefer to use their own private
\ncars rather than any of the public means of transportation that
\nare available.<\/p>\n
Assuming that our subway system is in place, will this
\nautomatically alleviate the traffic jams? Probably not. The point
\nis that because of the huge investment that is involved, the span
\nof our subway system will be very limited. In the meantime, the
\ngrowth of centers of public activity in the city center continues
\nrapidly.<\/p>\n
Introducing congestion fares without improving our city and
\ntraffic planning management and our public transportation system
\nwould be ironic. The government is responsible for having drawn
\nup a city plan which invites congestion, yet the citizenry has to
\ncarry the burden by paying congestion fares.<\/p>\n
-- Republika, Jakarta<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/congestion-rates-for-jakarta-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }