Police turn a blind eye to jaywalkers<\/p>\n
Leo Wahyudi S, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Many pedestrians in the city deliberately ignore traffic
\nregulations, crossing the road when and where they please despite
\navailable zebra crossings and footbridges.<\/p>\n
Jaywalking is common everywhere, including major thoroughfares
\nlike the 6.5 kilometer-long Jl. Thamrin and Jl. Jend. Sudirman,
\nwhich have a total of 16 footbridges.<\/p>\n
Many jaywalkers, including white-collar workers, are aware of
\ntheir wrongdoings, but they violate the regulation for \"practical
\nreasons\", even if this damages the plants along the median
\nstrips, or endangers themselves, especially if there is heavy
\ntraffic on the road.<\/p>\n
A noticeboard near the intersection at Sarinah department
\nstore on Jl. Thamrin says that people should cross using the
\nfootbridge. But Abdul Wahid, an employee of a private company
\nlocated near the department store, just ignores the sign. When
\nthe traffic lights turn red he crosses the road. \"I have to do
\nthat because I am expected to arrive at my office soon.\"<\/p>\n
Eki, a jaywalker on Jl. Sudirman, Central Jakarta, said she
\npreferred to brave the traffic rather than cross the footbridge
\nin order to save time.<\/p>\n
\"I realize I am wrong, but everybody does the same.\"<\/p>\n
She quickly added that she only crosses the road illegally
\nwhen there are no policeman around.<\/p>\n
But many police officers do not really care about jaywalking.<\/p>\n
One policeman who was on duty at the crossroad near Sarinah
\ndepartment store said it was not his task to warn jaywalkers.<\/p>\n
\"It's the city public order officers who should tell them to
\nabide by the rules,\" he said, adding that he was only following
\nhis superior's orders.<\/p>\n
But he later admitted that he could not do anything against
\nthe jaywalkers because of the huge number of offenders.<\/p>\n
\"If I stopped them, I could be mobbed,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Head of the City Public Order Agency Firman Hutajulu said that
\nthe city administration had assigned many public order officers
\nto keep the city in order, including regulating jaywalkers.<\/p>\n
\"We are working together with the city police to help improve
\nthe discipline of pedestrians,\" Firman said last week.<\/p>\n
Article 2 of Bylaw No. 11\/1988 on City Public Order stipulates
\nthat every pedestrian should walk on the pavement along the road
\nand cross via a zebra crossing or a footbridge. Anyone caught
\nviolating the bylaw could be sentenced to three months in jail or
\nfined a maximum of Rp 5 million.<\/p>\n
Secretary of the City Traffic Police Adj. Sr. Comr. Gatot
\nSubroto said that the police have the right to regulate
\npedestrians, as mentioned in Article 26 of Law No. 14\/1992 on
\ntraffic.<\/p>\n
The regulations, however, are hardly ever implemented. In the
\npast, a few jaywalkers were caught in the so-called operasi
\nyustisia (justice operation), which was launched by the city
\npublic order officers in cooperation with the police. The
\noffenders were ordered to pay a fine of several thousand rupiah.<\/p>\n
In April 2002, the City Police named Jl. Sudirman and Jl. M.H.
\nThamrin the city's pilot project area, where people should be
\nwell-disciplined.<\/p>\n
But the drive seems to have failed miserably.<\/p>\n
Gatot warned that in an effort to improve public discipline,
\nthe police and public order officers would soon launch an
\noperation to catch jaywalkers. He said it would be conducted in
\nthe near future, but he could not say when exactly.<\/p>",
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