Gaikindo opposes idea to limit car sales in city

JAKARTA (JP): Limiting the number of cars sold in Jakarta in order to ease the chronic traffic problem is impossible, the chairman of the Association of Indonesian Automotive Industries (Gaikindo) said yesterday.

It would affect other sectors and disturb national economic growth, said Herman Z. Latief, the association's chairman.

Herman was responding to a suggestion by the City Council's deputy speaker, Ismunandar, who said limiting the sale of cars in the city could help cure the lingering traffic woes.

"Seventy percent of nation-wide car sales are in Java, and Greater Jakarta is the biggest market," Herman said.

Of the 370,000 cars sold in the country in 1996, 150,000 were sold in Greater Jakarta, he told The Jakarta Post.

He said Jakartans' purchasing power was increasing in line with the economic growth.

Antara reported that Jakarta's per capita income increased from US$3,200 in 1995 to $3,600 in 1996.

Councilor Ismunandar said car sale promotions here were very aggressive despite the absence of research on the real number of vehicles needed by Jakartans.

The central government, he said, was supposed to help the city administration find ways to curb the traffic sickness. One way was limiting the number of car sold in Jakarta, he said.

Many people have suggested old cars be banned from operating on city roads to curb traffic problems.

Governor Surjadi Soedirdja said last month that banning old cars from the roads would not be that easy.

People would think twice before replacing their cars with new ones, he said.

Ismunandar said banning old cars would be a great benefit in the future. Therefore, he urged the city administration not to worry about the public's reaction to it.

The city is home to about nine million people and has more than 2.1 million vehicles. The length of the capital's roads is less than 6,000 kilometers.

Surjadi blamed traffic problems on a mismatch between new road construction, only four percent per year, and a rapid increase in vehicle ownership, 14 percent per year.

Experts say new roads will not guarantee smooth traffic in the capital. (11)