'It is roadworthiness, not age that matters'

The City Council has proposed limiting the age of vehicles on city roads -- 10 years for buses and 15 years for private vehicles. A clause on a car's age has been included in the draft bylaw on air pollution, the final deliberation of which is scheduled for Feb. 4. Residents that The Jakarta Post talked to have varying opinions on the matter.

Puteri Fatia, 23, is a reporter with Detikcom news portal. She lives in Tebet, South Jakarta:

I disagree with the planned policy. The issue is not for how long a car has been used or the age of a car, but its roadworthiness.

Another concern should be a car's emission levels.

Any car, diesel or otherwise, could be unroadworthy even though relatively new, if it is not well maintained by the owner.

It would be far more effective if vehicles that fail emission tests don't have their registrations renewed.

Andre Patar, 23, owns a travel agency in Central Jakarta. He lives in Pondok Kelapa, East Jakarta:

I support the planned policy. Vehicles produced in the 1990s and before, due to obsolete technology that does not burn fuel efficiently, must emit more pollution than newer cars.

Besides that, hopefully this plan will reduce traffic, which gets worse every day.

I notice the police are disseminating information on the restriction of two-stroke motorcycles on main thoroughfares, such as Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Rasuna Said, Kuningan.

That kind of motorcycle usually uses a fuel mixture, which produces highly polluted emission.

It would be great if the government gave owners of old cars time to repair and modify their cars, and of course provide an effective public transportation alternative.

--The Jakarta Post