Public, authorities not ready for Traffic Law

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)