Proposal to raise traffic fines gets mixed reactions<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The public had mixed reactions to the city
\nadministration's plan to increase traffic fines by up to 100
\npercent starting this week.<\/p>\n
Some motorists said that the increase would be too burdensome
\nwhile others supported the proposed hike, saying that it was
\nunderstandable given high number of traffic violations.<\/p>\n
City councilors are throwing their weight behind the increase
\nin traffic fines, saying that the public should see it in
\npositive light because it will act as a deterrent against traffic
\noffenses.<\/p>\n
\"If motorists try to bribe policemen, they will still have to
\npay more than they usually do now. With the enactment of the new
\nlaw, a policeman who receives bribes, if any of them do actually
\nengage in this practice, will demand a higher 'off-the-road
\nsettlement fee', \" Arie Putra Bintana, secretary of the City
\nCouncil's commission D on development, said.<\/p>\n
Arie said that he was optimistic that there would be less
\ntraffic violations because motorists would be more careful on the
\nstreets in the future.<\/p>\n
The proposed hike in traffic fines is part of a major plan
\naimed at reducing accidents and violations.<\/p>\n
Ismunandar, chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI)
\nfaction at the council, said that the new fines would make
\nmotorists think twice before driving recklessly on the streets.<\/p>\n
Under the new fine scale, which has been endorsed by police,
\nJakarta High Prosecutor's Office and Jakarta High Court, drivers
\nof private cars and public buses can be fined between Rp 15,000
\nand Rp 50,000 compared to between Rp 10,000 and Rp 25,000 under
\nthe present scale.<\/p>\n
Jaywalkers and drivers ignoring traffic signs will be fined Rp
\n10,000 while motorists caught without a license will be fined
\nbetween Rp 25,000-150,000.<\/p>\n
Several drivers of public transit vehicles told The Jakarta
\nPost that the new fines are too burdensome.<\/p>\n
\"How can I can afford Rp 15,000 just to pay a fine if my
\nincome is only around that much? ,\" sighed Udin, a driver of 12-
\nseat Mikrolet minibus plying the Kebayoran Lama-Tanah Abang
\nroute. He added that many times he was forced to break the law to
\nmake extra money, taking passengers to unauthorized stops at
\ntheir request.<\/p>\n
\"This is very, very bad news,\" he said.<\/p>\n
But city councilors disagreed with Udin, saying that the new
\nfines are within the reach of the drivers of public transit
\nvehicles.<\/p>\n
Shortage<\/p>\n
Some councilors, however, said that the new rulings would not
\npay off if they were not coupled with the enhancement of human
\nresource management in the field.<\/p>\n
Councilor Rusdi Saleh, from the Golkar-ruling party's faction
\nat the City Council, said police should deploy their personnel
\nevenly across the city -- especially at points notorious for
\ntraffic jams.<\/p>\n
\"I often see traffic violations but no action is taken against
\nthe motorists because there are no policemen at the scene, \" he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
Councilor Aliwongso Halomoan Sinaga, also part of the
\ncouncil's commission on transportation, warned policemen that
\nthey should not try to take advantage of the new ruling by
\ndemanding higher bribes from violators.<\/p>\n
\"The new rates are surely not meant to increase their income,
\nare they?\" he asked.<\/p>\n
Col. Soeroso, chief of the traffic directorate at the city
\npolice headquarters, promised, yesterday, to sternly punish
\nofficers discovered receiving bribes from motorists.<\/p>\n
\"If you see officers accepting bribes, please let me know and
\nproduce evidence, such as photographs of the officers accepting
\nbribes or recordings of their requests for a pay-off,\" he said.<\/p>\n
However, he also called on the motorists not to give bribes to
\npolice in case police caught them committing traffic violations.<\/p>\n
\"The ongoing development programs include all sectors of life,
\nincluding the development of law,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Soeroso said that police could not watch over all the streets
\nas they are supposed to because they lacked personnel.<\/p>\n
According to police records, there are currently about 1,500
\ntraffic police officers in the city, compared to 1,800 last year.
\nThis is because some of them have retired due or moved to other
\nassignments as part of their job rotation. With the present
\nnumber, each traffic policeman is to oversee 1,176 cars and 3.7
\nkilometer-long street.<\/p>\n
There are 2,961 intersections here, about 100 percent more
\nthan the current traffic force can handle.<\/p>\n
Zebra<\/p>\n
Soeroso said police would also launch Operasi Zebra (Operation
\nZebra), an annual traffic, police dragnet, some time in the near
\nfuture to mark the implementation of the 1992 traffic law and in
\nthe run-up to the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
\nconference in November.<\/p>\n
The traffic law was implemented on Sept. 17, 1993, after a
\none-year delay, due to public protests over the high rate of
\ntraffic fines.<\/p>\n
Police will deploy 75 percent of the 1,500 officers at the
\ndirectorate of personnel during Operation Zebra. (jsk\/arf)<\/p>",
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