Authorities fight over right to ticket three-in-one violators
Authorities fight over right to ticket three-in-one violators
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
Despite the fact that they have ticketed motorists over the past
year, the city police and the Jakarta transportation agency are
still fighting over who has the authority to book three-in-one
violators.
Citing Law No. 14/1992, city traffic police deputy chief Adj.
Sr. Comr. Kanton Pinem insisted on Friday that only his office
had the authority to ticket motorists that violate the policy.
However, Jakarta transportation agency deputy head Nurrahman,
citing Jakarta Bylaw No. 12/2003, argued that they too had the
right to book traffic violators, including those who do not abide
by the three-in-one policy.
"Based on Law No. 14/1992, only police can ticket violators
while the transportation agency has the duty to monitor and
evaluate the three-in-one policy," Kanton said during a seminar
on the three-in-one policy here on Friday.
Kanton stated that the "law clearly states" that
transportation agency officials only have the authority to impose
sanctions on public vehicles and trucks that fail to meet
standard requirements.
Speaking during the same seminar, Nurrahman argued that based
on Jakarta Bylaw No. 12/2003 on the three-in-one policy, they had
the right to uphold the bylaw.
"The bylaw clearly stipulates that we have the right to
monitor and take action against violators. So, we have the right
to stop and ticket the violators. After that, we will hand them
over to the police," he explained.
Article 53 of Law No. 12/1992 stipulates that transportation
officers have the authority to investigate and sanction traffic
violators, but the authority is limited to violations on
technical requirements for vehicles, such as whether the load
exceeds the allowed weight or such things like excessive exhaust
emissions from public buses.
The three-in-one policy, which was first launched 13 years ago
but extended and revitalized one year ago, requires private
vehicle owners to have at least three passengers when passing
through restricted zones; from Jl. Sisingamangraja, South Jakarta
to Kota in West Jakarta, and from the Senayan overpass on Jl.
Gatot Subroto to the Kuningan intersection. The restriction is
enforced from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the morning and from 4:30 p.m.
to 7 p.m. in the afternoon, Monday through Friday.
The policy is designed to ease traffic congestion along the
city's main business corridors, especially during rush hours.
It is well-known, however, that violators have often opted to
bribe officers on duty when caught.
Meanwhile, City Council Commission D member, Arkeno, said
during the seminar that the council had met with city
administration officials to discuss the problem.
"We have told the city administration that enforcement of the
three-in-one policy should be left to police to avoid public
confusion. They have agreed on the suggestion. They have the
right, however, to monitor how the policy is conducted," he said.
However, many transportation agency officers were still seen
stopping and ticketing three-in-one violators on Friday
afternoon.