An integrated problem

An integrated problem

In the early 1980s the then Jakarta Traffic Police chief said
at a seminar that the capital's traffic problem was only the tip
of the iceberg.

Two decades later -- after hundreds of similar seminars, talks
and discussions -- the tip of the iceberg is still there, with no
sign of its removal.

Numerous efforts have been made by the capital's authorities
to ease traffic congestion by constructing roads, the most
popular and affordable action.

We all know that new roads will not remedy the city's traffic
headache, which has become more acute.

Worse still, while new roads are being constructed, existing
roads are being inundated with new cars of various brands and
sizes. And there has been no action to stop it.

The uncontrolled increase in the number of motorized vehicles
on the capital's roads has long been considered one of the main
causes of traffic chaos.

The latest data indicates that the number of vehicles has been
increasing by 10 percent per year from 1.65 million in 1990 to
4.16 million in 2000. While last year's record, made available by
the city administration, indicated that the capital had a total
of 6,528 kilometers of road, including the urban turnpikes.

Traffic chaos has frustrated drivers, both those driving
private cars as well as public transportation drivers. The result
is recklessness and indifference toward road rules, which lead to
violations.

Being caught in a traffic jam is a daily occurrence and it is
common to see public buses and private cars ignoring traffic
lights or using the wrong lanes.

Many of us may, at times, feel victimized by such unscrupulous
drivers, who never seem afraid of being booked by the police.

Law enforcement is the key.

According to Article 61 of Law No. 14/1992 on land
transportation, those found violating traffic signs are subject
to one year in jail or a maximum fine of Rp 1 million.

Only a few traffic policemen have taken their findings from
the street to the courtroom, to have the offending drivers
properly punished. What usually happens is that violations are
settled on the spot between the traffic police and the drivers,
who have to pay a certain amount of money -- depending on the
level of seriousness of the offense, to the officer.

People consider the corrupt mentality common, while officials
turn a blind eye to the issue.

Since the government, including the city administration, has
failed to halt the increase in the number of motorized vehicles
and eliminate corrupt law enforcers, it has promoted its
ambitious plan to deal with the traffic: the construction of a
mass rapid transit (MRT) system.

The plan is, to some degree, realistic, as an MRT system is
considered the best cure for the capital's traffic. But then
again an MRT system could prove unrealistic.

The MRT system, which is expected to transport a large number
of people to and from their places of work in a very short time,
will be very expensive. About four years after the idea to
construct the MRT system was announced in the early 1990s, the
cost was estimated to be at least US$1.5 billion, a fantastic
amount of money given that Jakarta's provincial budget in 2002
only amounted to $903 million.

Another factor that has drawn skepticism is the fact that
constructing an MRT system in Jakarta, which houses at least 10
million people, would be extremely complicated. The space
required to support the construction of an MRT system would have
to be taken from residential areas, some of which are very
densely populated.

If the MRT project is later found to be unfeasible, people
would have to use the existing transportation vehicles, including
trains, which are far from comfortable and safe. For those who
have their own cars, they will have no other option but use then
to get to their destinations.

Judging from the facts, it appears that the city
administration has no integrated plan to deal with the complex
traffic problem. There is no integral plan to combine the
provision of the most appropriate mode of transportation and to
improve law enforcement.

It is doubtful that the capital's traffic problems will be
cured within the next decade. This is because officials and law
enforcers, as well as drivers -- all who should have demonstrated
their best and worked together to solve these complicated
problems -- are, in fact, part of the confusion. What we actually
have is not an integrated plan, but an integrated problem.