'Gridlock shows economic progress'

'Gridlock shows economic progress'

JAKARTA (JP): The notorious traffic gridlock in the city
reflects economic development, former Jakarta governor
Tjokropranolo says.

"If traffic is not congested, it is a sign that economic
development is stagnant," he told the Antara news agency
yesterday.

Tjokropranolo, Jakarta's governor from 1977 to 1982, proposed
that one way to solve the worsening traffic problem is to revise
the regulations.

"When I was the governor, I proposed changing the regulation
but nobody took it seriously," he said.

Employees should reside near their workplace, for example, so
that people do not have to go to work by private cars that jam
the streets, he said, citing Paris as a good model.

In addition, more mass rapid transport systems should be
operated, he said. "More tracks should be built and trains should
be made as main transportation means." (pan)