Fuel-saving measures

Fuel-saving measures

Now is really the time that a habit of saving energy is
implemented in Indonesia. So many offices (including government
offices) have their air conditions running while windows are open
(because of smokers); in private households this happens as well.

Very concretely, I would suggest the following measures during
the present fuel shortage:
1. Implement 2-3 car-free Sundays per month on the streets, where
all private vehicles are banned from the streets, and only taxi,
big buses (not metro mini and angkot and bajaj), ambulances and
police are allowed to drive. This was done in 1973 in Germany
during the global oil crisis. There are two effects, first, the
gasoline that will be saved and second, the city's residents will
be able to breathe better.
2. Punish all drivers/owners who leave their vehicles parked with
idling engines.
3. Stop the increase in the numbers of cars on the road that
consume large amounts of fuel and encourage people, especially in
the cities, to buy cars with excellent fuel efficiency.
4. Ban trucks and buses with thick, black emissions, as those are
likely to be old and thus burn more fuel.
5. Expand the busway system and substitute Metro Mini services,
this will create more load on the busway system thus decrease
fuel per passenger consumption, at least in the central areas of
Jakarta.
6. Improve the traffic flow by further restrictions within a
defined central zone in Jakarta in order to reduce traffic jams
and thus optimize cars' fuel usage.
7. Start a campaign for "car pooling" so that friends and
neighbors can share cars to go to work.

There are many other possibilities but 1, 2 and 4 can be
implemented now.

JOACHIM HARTMANN
Jakarta