'Private vehicles still crowd streets'<\/p>\n
The recent fuel price rises have led to increases in the prices
\nof other services and commodities, which has considerably reduced
\npeople's purchasing power. The Jakarta Post asked residents what
\nshould have been done, by either the government or the people, to
\nease their burden.<\/p>\n
Syafrudin, 37, is an environmentalist. He works for an
\nenvironmental watchdog, the office of which is on Jl. Sudirman,
\nSouth Jakarta. He lives in Citayam subdistrict, Depok:<\/p>\n
The recent fuel price increases hit urban workers hard because
\nthey have to spend more on transportation.<\/p>\n
Before the fuel increases, they had to spend some 15 percent
\nof their income on transportation. Of course, with the fare
\nincreases it's going to cost them much more. Ideally,
\ntransportation costs should be less than 10 percent of their
\nincome.<\/p>\n
I do not see a way out for urban workers. They could use
\nmotorcycles, but we cannot suggest that as an alternative as that
\nwould spark another problem.<\/p>\n
As you know, the number of motorcycles on the road is
\nincreasing, worsening traffic problems.<\/p>\n
I think, the only way to help urban workers is for the
\ngovernment to subsidize public transportation.<\/p>\n
Suhud, 35, is an activist of a non-governmental organization
\nfor environmental issues, whose office is on Jl. Casablanca,
\nSouth Jakarta. He lives in Depok:<\/p>\n
It seems that the fuel price increases have not caused a
\ndecrease in the number of private vehicles on the road. Nearly
\nall streets in the city remain congested.<\/p>\n
So long as the government fails to upgrade the
\npublic transportation system, private cars will remain the
\nfavorite choice.<\/p>\n
The fuel price increases have also caused public
\ntransportation fares, including those of taxis, to increase.
\nTherefore, people who usually use taxis are more likely to drive
\nthemselves.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, urban workers with lower salaries have no other
\nchoice but to pay more for public transportation as most of them
\nchange their transportation several times in one trip.<\/p>\n
The government could help them by reorganizing the routes of
\npublic transportation so they do not need to change public
\ntransportation so many times.<\/p>\n
-- The Jakarta Post<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/private-vehicles-still-crowd-streets-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }