No benefits from higher parking fees: Experts<\/p>\n
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Experts doubted on Monday whether raising parking fees would
\nreduce the number of vehicles entering the capital and help solve
\ntraffic congestion here.<\/p>\n
Transportation observer Suyono Dikun said on Monday that the
\ncongestion problems in Jakarta had become so complicated that
\nthey could not be solved by raising parking fees alone.<\/p>\n
\"Jakarta needs comprehensive solutions to traffic problems. I
\nthink raising parking fees won't be effective in this regard,\" he
\ntold The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Suyono noted that new vehicles continued to arrive in the city
\nafter the government raised fuel prices steeply.<\/p>\n
\"That's because motorists don't have any other choices in the
\nface of the bad public transportation system,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The government raised gasoline prices from Rp 2,400 to Rp
\n4,500 a liter and diesel fuel from Rp 2,100 to Rp 4,300 early
\nthis month. The subsidy cut was aimed at saving money for the
\nnational budget after fuel prices surged above US$60 a barrel on
\ninternational market.<\/p>\n
Recently, parking operator PT Securindo Packtama, better known
\nas Secure Parking, suggested it planned to seek an increase in
\noff-street parking fees from the current Rp 2,000 an to Rp 4,000
\nan hour.<\/p>\n
Although Secure Parking, which controls 60 percent of off-
\nstreet parking areas in the capital, has not formally submitted
\nits request, Governor Sutiyoso has already thrown his support
\nbehind the move, arguing that the policy would discourage people
\nfrom taking their cars out on the city's streets.<\/p>\n
However, Andi Rahmah, a researcher at Pelangi, a non-
\ngovernmental organization concerned with city transportation and
\nenvironment, said raising parking fees would not solve the city's
\nproblems.<\/p>\n
\"Raising parking fees aims to force residents to change from
\nusing private cars to using public transportation. How can they
\ndo that if we don't have good public transportation. Private car
\nowners will only pay higher fuel prices or parking fees for
\nconvenient travel,\" she told the Post.<\/p>\n
Suyono and Andi agreed that raising parking fees should be
\nseen as one part of a comprehensive solution to congestion and
\npollution problems in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"The administration has no choice but to establish good public
\ntransportation so that private car owners voluntarily give up
\ntheir habit of taking their cars to the office, business centers
\nor malls,\" Rahmah said.<\/p>\n
Data released by the Jakarta traffic police showed that last
\nyear there were at least 6.4 million vehicles on city roads a
\nday, more than 70 percent of which were private cars.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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