Govt blasted for road toll hike of up to 75%
Govt blasted for road toll hike of up to 75%
Novan Iman Santosa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) said on Tuesday that
the government was violating its own regulations by proposing
road toll hikes of between 25 percent and 75 percent despite what
the foundation claimed was the poor service offered by toll road
operators.
YLKI chairwoman Indah Suksmaningsih said the toll hikes could
only be justified if toll roads provided significant advantages
to motorists compared to ordinary roads.
"As long as the toll road operators fail to ensure smooth
travel, they have no right to ask for toll hikes," she told The
Jakarta Post.
"Law No.13/1980 on highways clearly stipulates that the better
service provided by toll roads differentiates them from ordinary
roads."
The Ministry of Settlement and Regional Infrastructure
proposed that road tolls be hiked by between 25 percent and 75
percent during a hearing on Monday with the House of
Representatives' Commission IV on transportation and
infrastructure.
The government has also proposed slapping 10 percent value-
added tax on the new tolls.
The rises include a 33 percent hike for the inner-Jakarta toll
road network, notorious for its massive traffic jams during peak
times, from Rp 3,000 to Rp 4,000.
The charge for using the Jagorawi toll road, Indonesia's first
turnpike, would be raised from Rp 4,000 to Rp 5,500, a 38 percent
hike.
The ministry has also proposed a 75 percent increase, the
biggest hike, for the Tangerang-Merak toll road, where the charge
would increase from Rp 10,000 to Rp 17,500.
Meanwhile, the smallest proposed rises apply to the Soedyatmo
toll road, where the toll would rise from Rp 4,000 to Rp 5,000,
and the Serpong-Pondok Aren toll road, which would see tolls rise
from Rp 2,000 to Rp 2,500.
Not only had the toll road operators failed to provide better
service than the ordinary road network, the government had also
violated another regulation, Indah said.
"According to Government Regulation No. 40/2001 on road toll
increases, tolls may only be increased once every three years.
Considering this, the next hike should be in 2004, and not this
year or next year."
While admitting that some turnpikes had not increased their
tolls since 1997, Indah said this did not automatically gave the
operators the right to hike tolls without providing better
service.
Indah supported the government's plan to exempt public
transportation vehicles from the hikes.
"I would agree if the higher tolls were only aimed at those
who drive flashy, expensive cars. But we must protect city buses,
for example."
Earlier on Monday, Minister Soenarno said that public buses
would indeed be exempted from the toll increases.
"There will be special tickets for buses entitling them to
lower turnpike tolls," he said as quoted by Antara.