Police crack down on motorists travelling the wrong way in East Jakarta

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Traffic Unit of the East Jakarta Metro Police (Satlantas Polres Metro Jakarta Timur) uses handheld devices integrated with the Electronic Traffic Law Enforcement (ETLE) system to crack down on motorists travelling the wrong way along Jalan DI Panjaitan. “We enforce by using handheld devices to target motorcyclists or drivers who travel against the flow,” said Kompol Sunaryo, Deputy Head of the East Jakarta Metro Police Traffic Unit (Satlantas), at Jalan DI Panjaitan, East Jakarta, on Wednesday. This step was taken following residents’ concerns about widespread traffic violations around Jalan DI Panjaitan, specifically in front of the Ministry of Religious Affairs Office of DKI Jakarta. Sunaryo noted that around two to three officers were deployed to the location to conduct surveillance and enforcement. “We deploy personnel around the scene and take action against violations that are still occurring,” Sunaryo said. “The handheld device is like a camera model; we photograph the violations. For violations that have been photographed, they are automatically recorded,” he said. The device resembles a camera used to photograph vehicles that violate the rules. “Violations photographed will automatically be blocked in our ETLE system,” Sunaryo asserted. With this method, the ticketing process becomes more transparent and digitally-based. Violation data are directly entered into the system without lengthy manual processing. Although surveillance has been conducted, officers still found a number of motorcyclists who stubbornly go against the flow, especially when traffic is heavy. “Earlier there were still a few who went against the flow, but on motorcycles. Some motorcycles may have escaped monitoring or from officers, and they ride along,” he said. From observations on Jalan DI Panjaitan, traffic on that route has been congested since 07:00 WIB today, especially during the morning and evening peak hours. A line of two-wheel and four-wheel vehicles crowded the road towards Jatinegara. Many large vehicles or trucks also traverse the road. In the midst of the congestion, several motorcyclists were seen taking the opposite lane. They used gaps between vehicles to pass, even though oncoming traffic continued to arrive. Police officers on duty continued to enforce against drivers who still stubbornly travel against the flow. Violators from a distance were directed to turn back and travel in the proper direction. Meanwhile, some violators were immediately acted upon using the handheld device.