Police campaign to target unruly pedestrians

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The city police launched on Thursday a one-month campaign aimed at punishing traffic law violators -- pedestrians and passengers of motorcycles, public vehicles or private cars.

City traffic police chief Sr. Comr. Djoko Susilo said that during the operation, called Zebra Simpatik (Sympathetic Zebra), police officers would stop people who violated traffic regulations, including passengers and pedestrians.

"For instance, a passenger of an ojek (motorcycle taxi) who is not wearing a helmet will have to be punished even if the driver is wearing a helmet," Djoko told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.

He also said city police would consistently apply Bylaw No. 11/1988 that authorizes police officers to ticket passengers and pedestrians who violate traffic regulations.

The bylaw states that pedestrians must use pavements and pedestrian crossings, while passengers must wait at bus shelters for buses or taxis.

It also rules that besides the driver, a motorcycle passenger who does not comply with traffic regulations, including wearing a helmet, will also be ticketed.

Violators could face three months' imprisonment or be fined up to Rp 50,000 (US$5.40).

Djoko said people who rode on the roof of a bus or on the back of an open truck would also be punished.

He regretted that the bylaw had not been effective despite its enactment 17 years ago.

"That's why starting today we will seriously uphold the bylaw to force people to obey traffic regulations, and create an orderly Jakarta," he said.

Djoko said, however, that police would launch a week-long drive to inform the public about the campaign before applying the bylaw to the fullest.

To inform the public, the police will gather 1,000 ojek drivers from all over Jakarta at the National Monument (Monas) Park in Central Jakarta on Friday.

Carrying huge, long banners, the drivers will parade along several streets, including Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan, Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat and Jl. Prapatan, all in Central Jakarta.

Virtually all travellers -- pedestrians, public transportation vehicle drivers and their passengers, private cars and motorcycle drivers and passengers -- break traffic laws in order to beat traffic congestion.

According to data from city police, 4,544 traffic accidents occurred in Jakarta in 2004 in which 1,146 people were killed.

Djoko said that the number of accidents tended to be higher in the first semester.

"We will continue promoting the bylaw. We hope we can reduce traffic accidents by enforcing the bylaw," Djoko said.