Public, authorities not ready for Traffic Law

JAKARTA (JP): No one would contest the reason behind the Traffic Law, which, following last year's public uproar over the million rupiah fines, will be implemented in stages and will be in full effect by next June.

Last week's sit-in strike by minibus drivers confirmed that neither the public nor the authorities were prepared for the law, particularly the high fines. The authorities believed higher fines would force motorists, especially bus drivers, to observe the law. Drivers, on the other hand, suspected that the higher fines would equate to higher bribes for the police.

In the beginning the fines were dropped back to a low level while a supposedly bribe free ticketing system was introduced. However, when the government decided to hike the fines by 200 percent this month, three days of chaos broke out when public transport drivers staged a sit-in strike.

The recent strike and continued rampant violations and accidents indicate that at the moment the Traffic Law is unenforceable. Passengers, public and private drivers and the authorities all have their own ideas why:

o Suwandi, ojek (motor taxi) driver: "This is the way of the road. A rule is applied only when it is new, after that everything is back to the old ways."

o Hotdian, Kopaja bus driver: "Passengers should also be informed and made aware (of the rules). Who would dare oppose passengers who demand to be let out anywhere they want while they bang on the ceiling?"

o Zumrotin K. Soesilo, Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI): "There is still a feeling of injustice amongst drivers. They think, "Why do these police and DLLAJR officials work without sanctions, and are allowed to be illegal brokers of drivers' licenses and route permits, while drivers have to pay Rp 150,000 for breaking a rule?"

o Sociologist, Sardjono Jatiman: "The culture of urban traffic is relatively new to many of us, including many drivers who come from outside the city. Anyway, the government should not back off, but enforce the rules while improving the image of the law enforcers who most people believe fuss over trivial things to get money."

o Bluebird taxi driver,: "It's too easy to become a taxi driver. Company owners arrange the licenses and the identity cards, train the drivers from the kampong for a few months, who then leave when they find out what driving in the city is like."

o Abdul Karim Tjokroprawiro, head of the City Office of the Ministry of Transportation: "I fully believe in pak J.P. Sepang (the head of the City Agency for Traffic and Transportation Control), but even he has complained about the difficulty of enforcing his own staff to stop taking high, illegal fees to process public transport operation permits."

o Bun Yamin Ramto, Jakarta's former deputy governor:

"The formulation of the law was not based on adequate observation of the reality of implementation... there was inadequate concern for the six traffic aspects, like street networks and traffic volume. There is still a lot to be done before the laws can be enforced, like making U-turns to the left instead of the right for one-way traffic lanes." (anr)