Lack of personnel slows closed-door regulations

Lack of personnel slows closed-door regulations

JAKARTA (JP): The City Land Transportation Control Agency (DLLAJ) announced yesterday that it will start the implementation of the closed-door ruling for public minivans on Friday.

This announcement was in contradiction to an earlier one made by City Police, who had said the ruling would be implemented beginning Tuesday, Jan. 3.

Head of the agency, JP Sepang told reporters that the decision to delay the implementation of the ruling was made because most of its officers are still involved in Operation Candlelight 1995, which was established to help safeguard security and facilitate traffic during the Christmas and New Year holidays. The operation ends tomorrow.

"The agency does not have enough personnel to supervise the implementation of the regulation," Sepang said.

Sepang urged drivers not to ask when the implementation of the ruling will start as they have been given enough time to prepare the equipment on their vehicles for passengers' safety.

"We had set the deadline for the installation of equipment for the end of last year," he explained.

A release from the city public relations office announced earlier that a meeting on Dec. 22 between the agency, the Organization of Land Transportation Businessmen and other agencies had also decided on the implementation of the policy for Jan. 6.

The lack of coordination is believed to have led to differences as to the beginning of the implementation of the ruling.

Sepang urged minivan drivers to abide by the ruling. He also said that he has instructed his officers in the city's five mayoralties to take stern actions against drivers who violate the ruling.

"We will not hesitate to penalize drivers who have not installed special handles to open and close the minivans' doors by confiscating their supervision cards which are issued by the agency for their operation," he said.

The cards will be returned to drivers as soon as they show that they have installed the equipment, he added.

The closed-door ruling is stipulated in the 1992 Traffic Law, and requires that the crews of public transit vehicles throughout the capital city, including minibuses, close their doors during operation to ensure the safety of passengers.

A similar ruling has been enforced on large buses in the city. All public transit companies are subject to the rule.

However, the enforcement of the rule on minibuses, such as the buses owned by the Wahana Kalpika Cooperative (KWK), the Mikrolet minivan services and Angkutan Perkotaan (city) buses, was postponed following a large-scale strike by their drivers last September.

In response to outcries from minibus drivers and owners, the police postponed the imposition of the ruling so as to give them more time to prepare to comply with the new ruling.

The closed-door ruling is part of traffic law No. 14/1992, enforced by City Police on selected roads in Greater Jakarta which started yesterday.

Under the new system, locally called Kawasan Tertib Lalu Lintas (traffic regulation compliance zone), traffic offenders will asked to appear before the courts in person (no stand-ins allowed) and fined accordingly, based on the harsh ticketing fine scale which has a maximum fine of Rp 6 million (US$2,745)(yns)