'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)