Parking scheme proves unpopular<\/p>\n
Zakki Hakim and Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A week after the new controversial on-street parking system was
\nimplemented, Governor Sutiyoso finally admitted on Monday that it
\ndid not work as expected.<\/p>\n
He blamed the operator, PT Adiwira Sembada, for being
\nunprofessional and not serious in managing the voucher parking
\nsystem. The governor gave the operator three months to improve
\nits performance, otherwise the administration would find another
\ninvestor to handle the new system, which is expected to
\ncontribute Rp 32 billion to the city budget this year.<\/p>\n
City Hall spokesman Achyat M. Awe said Sutiyoso was concerned
\nabout three points: One, the field manager of the company was not
\nprofessional; two, the operator did not hold public campaigns to
\nintroduce the project; and three, it only invested a small amount
\nof money. Achyat, however, refused to reveal the amount the
\ncompany had invested in the new system.<\/p>\n
However, Sutiyoso stressed that he would maintain the voucher
\nsystem as he believed that the system would prevent fund leakage.<\/p>\n
Achyat said that all locations designated for the on-street
\nparking system should have switched to the new system three
\nmonths after the pilot project was launched.<\/p>\n
The system has been implemented on five streets: Jl. Agus
\nSalim, Central Jakarta; Jl. Gadjah Mada, West Jakarta; Jl. Raden
\nPatah, South Jakarta; Jl. Bulevar Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta;
\nand Jl. Jatinegara, East Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The system, however, has turned out to be less than appealing
\nfor most motorists.<\/p>\n
According to parking attendants and officials on Jl. Bulevar,
\nKelapa Gading, North Jakarta, only about a hundred vouchers had
\nbeen sold to motorists, whereas The Jakarta Post observed that
\nmore than 100 cars were parked along the street, with a high
\nturnover.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, on Jl. Gajah Mada, most parking attendants
\ncomplained that during the past week they had each served, on
\naverage, only one motorist who willingly used the vouchers to pay
\ntheir parking fees.<\/p>\n
Jaya, a driver, said that it was too much trouble for him to
\nuse the new system because he had to walk quite far under the
\nscorching sun in order to purchase a voucher.<\/p>\n
\"It will be more convenient for me just to pay Rp 1,000 rather
\nthan walk to the voucher outlets and have to pay up to Rp 5,000,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
Furthermore, Jaya said, none of the parking attendants had
\nactually offered the new system to him.<\/p>\n
This was also the case with shop owners along the street, most
\nof whom claimed that they had never received any information
\nregarding the new system from parking authorities, although their
\npick-up trucks made deliveries almost every day.<\/p>\n
Under the new system, parking attendants are equipped with a
\nPDA (Personal Digital Assistant) worth Rp 17 million, or several
\ntimes higher than the market price.<\/p>\n
Observers had criticized the system and suspected that it
\nwould only benefit a few corrupt officials instead of the public.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/parking-scheme-proves-unpopular-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}