Public has doubts over 3-in-1 extension

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Failure to resolve the city's chronic transportation problems due to a lack of commitment and consistency by the officials concerned has made the public increasingly skeptical of any program launched to deal with the issue.

The city administration revealed last week its plan to extend the three-in-one, restricted traffic zone policy. It will be launched simultaneously with that of the busway project, expected sometime later this year.

Transportation observers warn that however good the program may be, people give it the cold shoulder, as they doubt the commitment of city administration officials to cope with the real problems.

Therefore, they stress that city leaders should guarantee that the program being developed is not simply a money-making project for personal gain and that they should take tough measures against any of their subordinates who abuse their authority.

"Don't blame the public, which is always suspicious of any city administration program, as many of the programs introduced previously didn't work well," said Azas Tigor Nainggolan of the Jakarta Residents' Forum (Fakta).

In 1990, the city administration introduced a special track in the fast lane for city buses, along Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Thamrin. Unfortunately, the scheme failed, causing even more traffic jams, and endangered passengers as they crossed the road to reach the shelters.

The program was later aborted and in 1993 the three-in-one policy was introduced. Private cars with fewer than three passengers are not allowed to use the main thoroughfares of Jl. Sudirman and Jl. MH Thamrin from 6:30 a.m. to 10 a.m. However, many have complained that the program does not really solve the problem. Traffic jams occur in other areas where people have to find alternative routes to avoid the restricted zones. Also, many motorists prefer to hire joki, who offer themselves as passengers for a small tip.

Another transportation program that did not work was student buses. Even though the yellow buses were meant for students, the drivers picked up other passengers, too.

Traffic jams are a nightmare for Jakartans, as the city's 6,500 kilometers of road are far from sufficient to accommodate more than 4 million cars and motorcycles -- mostly private vehicles.

Jakarta does not have a mass rapid transportation system and many people are reluctant to use public buses as they are uncomfortable and the service is poor.

Now the city administration plans to encourage people to leave their vehicles at home and take the special buses that will be deployed on the busway system instead. The buses will run along the 12.5-kilometer route from Blok M, South Jakarta, to Kota, Central Jakarta.

When the plan was first revealed early last year, it was estimated to cost Rp 50.8 billion. However, in December, the budget was increased to Rp 90.25 billion, as there was a change in the plan, for example, the number of buses would be increased from 50, as originally planned, to 60.

The project was postponed several times, and, as of now, there has been no precise indication as to when it will be launched.

Tigor, as well as Tulus Abadi from the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI), suspected that many officials perceived the busway project to be a source of additional income.

Corruption among city officials is an old story.

Public transport operators, according to Tigor, often complained about a variety of illegal fees imposed by officials from the city transportation agency.

Tigor cited the example that transport operators had to pay double or even triple the normal price if they wanted to operate on the lucrative routes, as many people competed for the limited permits available.

He also noted that officials all too easily issued roadworthiness documents without properly checking the condition of vehicles, as they received financial inducements from vehicle owners.