Congestion rates for Jakarta?

Congestion rates for Jakarta?

Going through traffic in Jakarta will eventually become even
worse. Some day, when the planned subway has become operational,
private cars taking Jakarta's main thoroughfares will be subject
to taxation. This plan is part of the efforts being made to
restrict the use of private cars in order to reduce congestion.
Anyone driving a private car along certain streets at certain
hours of the day will have to show proof that he or she has paid
taxes which are known in traffic management circles as congestion
rates.

This method of lessening traffic is already practiced in a
number of advanced counties. In Singapore, for example, there are
the restricted zones, which are usually found around the city
center. The hope is that this will discourage people from using
private cars in the city center, thereby helping to avoid traffic
congestion.

The question is, would congestion rates be effective in
Jakarta? Jakarta is built according to a concentric plan. The
centers of public activity are located mainly in the central
parts of the city. As we can observe, all the major shopping
areas as well as the recreation and business areas are spread out
in the center of the city. As a consequence, traffic also is
concentrated in the city center, which is thus prone to
congestion. In other words, traffic jams in Jakarta are not
solely the result of an imbalance between the number of cars and
streets available; they are also a result of the fact that the
planning of the city is not done in an integrated manner.

Another factor -- and this is one which distinguishes us from
advanced countries -- is that our public transportation system is
allowed to develop in a wild and most inhuman manner. As a
result, those who can afford it prefer to use their own private
cars rather than any of the public means of transportation that
are available.

Assuming that our subway system is in place, will this
automatically alleviate the traffic jams? Probably not. The point
is that because of the huge investment that is involved, the span
of our subway system will be very limited. In the meantime, the
growth of centers of public activity in the city center continues
rapidly.

Introducing congestion fares without improving our city and
traffic planning management and our public transportation system
would be ironic. The government is responsible for having drawn
up a city plan which invites congestion, yet the citizenry has to
carry the burden by paying congestion fares.

-- Republika, Jakarta