Councilors hail plan on car sticker system

JAKARTA (JP): City councilors have hailed the municipality's plan to replace the three-in-one traffic regulation with a car sticker system, which is to start after next month's general session of the People's Consultative Assembly.

Amarullah Asbah, head of Commission C for city revenue, said over the weekend that the sticker system could become a new source of revenue.

"I believe the municipality could gain more from this system," he said. "But I urge the municipality to create a special section in the city's budget to enable us to control and supervise whether (the funds) are really used to improve public transportation as promised."

Governor Sutiyoso has said funds from the sale of stickers would be used to update public transportation fleets, which are mostly in poor condition.

Five years after its debut, the governor decided to scrap the three-in-one traffic regulation and replace it with the sticker system.

The three-in-one system, which was aimed at encouraging people to use public transportation, is no longer considered effective.

President Soeharto gave a green light last week to the planned introduction of car stickers.

Ade Surpriatna from Golkar faction urged the municipality to consider the possible negative effects of the new system.

"Don't let this system be manipulated like the three-in-one system. The city must be quick to anticipate loopholes, such as bogus stickers or corruption," he said.

If the municipality acts professionally from the beginning, the system will work well, Ade said.

Elishman Iljas of the United Development Party faction said the City Council must be included in discussions about the implementation of the new system.

"This policy will certainly affect the people. Therefore, even though the municipality has already been given a green light for the new system, they should consult us.

"We are the people's representatives. I personally agree with the new system but there are so many details to be discussed in order to prevent it from causing problems and burdens for people in the future."

Three companies have reportedly submitted proposals to run the sticker system.

PT Wijaya Wisesa, one of the three firms, for example, proposed that motorists be charged Rp 5,000 (50 U.S. cents) per entry, Rp 8,000 for the entire day and Rp 100,000 per month.

Sutiyoso said the system's implementation was being prepared, including the prices of stickers and the successful tender to work in cooperation with the municipality.

"We will choose the best firm from among the private companies interested in the system."

Under the new car sticker system, motorists have to buy stickers to pass along Jl. Gatot Subroto, Jl. Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman.

The stickers must be put on a certain part of the car to enable detectors to identify the stickers through infrared scanning devices at three locations.

"The new method will be different from the toll road system. We could not possibly use toll booths here for fear of creating traffic congestion," K. Santos, City Hall spokesman, said.

The municipality reiterated that the sticker system would not burden the poor as it would only affect middle- and upper-class people.

"On the contrary, it will benefit the poor people because the money from the sale of the stickers will be used to improve public transportation fleets, most of which are already in bad condition," Sutiyoso said.

He said those most affected would be people working in the modern office blocks along the three-in-one zones -- Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta and Jl. Jend. Sudirman and Jl. Gatot Subroto in South Jakarta.

A similar system has been applied successfully in other countries, including Singapore, he said.

The three-in-one policy, based on Law No. 14/1992, requires private cars to carry at least three passengers when traveling along Jl. Gatot Subroto, Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Thamrin between 6.30 a.m. to 10 a.m. on work days.

But the system became ineffective after several parties began taking advantage of the system, including "jockeys" -- people who offer themselves as passengers for a short ride into the restricted zones and past the police checkpoints for a fee of Rp 1,000. (edt)