Car owners ask for 3-in-1 leniency

Evi Mariani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The overnight downpour troubled private car owners on Thursday morning, many of whom were trapped by flooded alternative routes while trying to avoid the three-in-one traffic policy.

Some motorists asked the police to allow them to pass through the restricted zones, where a minimum of three people are allowed per vehicle, because they could not pass through the submerged alternatives.

The three-in-one traffic policy stretches from Blok M in South Jakarta to Kota in West Jakarta; and from the Park Royal Apartments on Jl. Jend. Gatot Subroto in the west to the Kuningan intersection in the east.

In response, Jakarta Police traffic division chief Sr. Comr. Sulistyo Ishak said police would be "flexible" about the three-in-one zones whenever necessary. He did not explain what "flexible" meant.

Sulistyo called on Jakartans and city administration officials to help clean piling waste from gutters in order to reduce the impact of the floods on traffic.

Police monitoring had found 29 spots in the city that were prone to traffic congestion whenever rain fell. Of the 29 spots, 11 are in North Jakarta, nine in West Jakarta, five in South Jakarta and four in East Jakarta.

Floods also forced police to close several streets temporarily because water reached meter-high levels in some areas.

One area badly affected was Jl. Kapten Tendean from Mampang Prapatan heading towards Blok M in South Jakarta. Overflowing water from the nearby Krukut River behind the Tarakanita Catholic school had begun to flood the street from early on Thursday morning.