Public has doubts over 3-in-1 extension

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.