Police turn a blind eye to jaywalkers

Leo Wahyudi S, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Many pedestrians in the city deliberately ignore traffic regulations, crossing the road when and where they please despite available zebra crossings and footbridges.

Jaywalking is common everywhere, including major thoroughfares like the 6.5 kilometer-long Jl. Thamrin and Jl. Jend. Sudirman, which have a total of 16 footbridges.

Many jaywalkers, including white-collar workers, are aware of their wrongdoings, but they violate the regulation for "practical reasons", even if this damages the plants along the median strips, or endangers themselves, especially if there is heavy traffic on the road.

A noticeboard near the intersection at Sarinah department store on Jl. Thamrin says that people should cross using the footbridge. But Abdul Wahid, an employee of a private company located near the department store, just ignores the sign. When the traffic lights turn red he crosses the road. "I have to do that because I am expected to arrive at my office soon."

Eki, a jaywalker on Jl. Sudirman, Central Jakarta, said she preferred to brave the traffic rather than cross the footbridge in order to save time.

"I realize I am wrong, but everybody does the same."

She quickly added that she only crosses the road illegally when there are no policeman around.

But many police officers do not really care about jaywalking.

One policeman who was on duty at the crossroad near Sarinah department store said it was not his task to warn jaywalkers.

"It's the city public order officers who should tell them to abide by the rules," he said, adding that he was only following his superior's orders.

But he later admitted that he could not do anything against the jaywalkers because of the huge number of offenders.

"If I stopped them, I could be mobbed," he said.

Head of the City Public Order Agency Firman Hutajulu said that the city administration had assigned many public order officers to keep the city in order, including regulating jaywalkers.

"We are working together with the city police to help improve the discipline of pedestrians," Firman said last week.

Article 2 of Bylaw No. 11/1988 on City Public Order stipulates that every pedestrian should walk on the pavement along the road and cross via a zebra crossing or a footbridge. Anyone caught violating the bylaw could be sentenced to three months in jail or fined a maximum of Rp 5 million.

Secretary of the City Traffic Police Adj. Sr. Comr. Gatot Subroto said that the police have the right to regulate pedestrians, as mentioned in Article 26 of Law No. 14/1992 on traffic.

The regulations, however, are hardly ever implemented. In the past, a few jaywalkers were caught in the so-called operasi yustisia (justice operation), which was launched by the city public order officers in cooperation with the police. The offenders were ordered to pay a fine of several thousand rupiah.

In April 2002, the City Police named Jl. Sudirman and Jl. M.H. Thamrin the city's pilot project area, where people should be well-disciplined.

But the drive seems to have failed miserably.

Gatot warned that in an effort to improve public discipline, the police and public order officers would soon launch an operation to catch jaywalkers. He said it would be conducted in the near future, but he could not say when exactly.