New three-in-one policy to go on trial today
Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The tryout of the new extended three-in-one traffic policy to support the Jakarta busway project is set to start on Wednesday despite strong objections from Jakartans, who say the new policy is unlikely to work any better than the old policy.
The new policy requires private cars to carry at least three passengers when traveling along the busway corridor from Blok M, South Jakarta, to Kota, West Jakarta, from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
"There's no way that we can satisfy everyone. It will take sacrifice, especially from private car owners, for the sake of the public interest. People will get used to it," Governor Sutiyoso said on Tuesday when making the announcement.
Previously, he said he wanted to see the three-in-one policy extended even longer -- from 6:30 a.m to 8 p.m.
The three-in-one policy was first introduced in 1993 to ease traffic congestion, but efforts were quickly made to circumvent it, including the emergence of the joki phenomenon (people offering to ride as passengers for a small fee).
The policy has been applied to date from 6:30 a.m to 10 a.m. along Jl. Jend. Sudirman, Jl. M.H. Thamrin and Jl. Jend. Gatot Subroto. These streets are also covered by the new policy.
The new three-in-one tryout period will last for 30 days starting Wednesday but no law enforcement measures will be taken as the Jakarta administration says it wants to familiarize the public with the new policy first.
"We'll deploy more police officers to observe how it is being complied with. We'll also fix facilities such as traffic signs, and distribute leaflets on the new policy," said the chief of the Jakarta Police's traffic division, Sr. Comr. Sulistyo Ishak.
He said that motorists would still be allowed to drive alone after 10 a.m. during the tryout period, although this would also depend on traffic conditions.
"If the traffic is severely congested, drivers violating the policy during the tryout period will be rerouted. But there will be no legal action taken against them," he told The Jakarta Post.
The policy does not apply to motorcycles and public transportation vehicles, or on public holidays and weekends.
Many Jakartans fear that the new policy will end up producing more traffic jams and joki, instead of improving traffic flows.
They claim that the new policy will only shift the congestion to other areas as motorists will have four alternative routes to avoid the three-in-one zone.
Sulistyo said that he would clear the joki and vendors from the streets, and take action against pedestrians who boarded buses or crossed the street at unauthorized places.
Governor Sutiyoso also reiterated that his administration would launch the busway project on Jan. 15, unless unexpected problems arose or the facilities were not ready on time.
"This (busway) is a part of a long-term project. We're going to revolutionize the public transportation system here. Let's accept the traffic congestion as a sacrifice we have to put up with so as to bring about meaningful improvements.
"I myself will even take the busway if I get trapped in a traffic jam somewhere. There's no room for pride here," he promised.
He rejected the idea of barring cars with certain license plate numbers from entering the city center on certain days, saying that it would take at least six months to make the necessary preparations.