Replacement 3-in-1 system sought
Replacement 3-in-1 system sought
JAKARTA (JP): As the three-in-one policy in restricted areas
has only created a problem with traffic jockeys, the city
administration is now looking for a new, more suitable system to
handle traffic congestion during rush hours, an official said on
Wednesday.
"Governor Sutiyoso has ordered a review of the policy as it
has only attracted children to serve as three-in-one traffic
jockeys," head of the City Traffic and Land Transportation Agency
Buyung Atang told The Jakarta Post.
"We have detained more than 1,200 jockeys and fined more than
1,400 drivers. Yet, the jockeys keep returning and the drivers
continue using them," he said.
He said his agency had conducted research for the past three
weeks by temporarily revoking the policy in an effort to
calculate the number of private vehicles passing the restricted
zones.
"We didn't announce the provisional revocation of the policy
as it would hamper our evaluation. Everyone would then pass
through the restricted zones," he said, while insisting that the
policy was still in effect.
"Even without a public announcement, the number of cars
entering the zones has jumped about 200 percent," he added.
He said there were about 89,000 private vehicles passing
through the restricted streets per week before the policy was
revoked. Now, the number has jumped to 180,000.
He dismissed speculation that the city administration would
revoke the policy and impose a sticker system to overcome traffic
congestion.
"There's no such plan. We're just evaluating the three-in-one
policy. The rest is up to the governor," Buyung said.
He admitted, however, that there was a 1998 Presidential
Decree No. 50 which allowed the city administration to impose a
sticker system.
"The governor listened to residents opposed to the sticker
system and continued with the three-in-one policy," he said.
The sticker system drew opposition from many areas, including
the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI).
Sutiyoso said earlier on Tuesday that with the sticker system
the city administration would secure revenues to subsidize public
transportation expenditures.
"The money collected from stickers could be spent to subsidize
the transportation owners' expenditures or to buy new buses," he
said.
"The current condition of our public transportation is very
bad. Look at those buses of the state-owned PPD bus company," he
added.
Separately, deputy chairperson of YLKI, Agus Pambagio
regretted Sutiyoso's decision to secretly revoke the
administration's three-in-one policy.
"The policy is a public policy, in which the public took part
in the planning and execution stages. Therefore, any instruction
or revocation should also be made public," said Agus on the
sidelines of a seminar at the Ministry of Transportation
building.
He lashed out at the governor, accusing him of lacking
sensitivity to the people's interests.
"The decision has caused a great impact on jockeys since they
will lose their jobs," he said.
"It will increase criminal activities on the street because
jobless jockeys may commit crimes on the street," he added.
Agus demanded that the city administration make an
announcement to end the confusion whether the policy was still in
effect or not.
"We only read it in the media. The decision should be made
public to end confusion," he said.
He supported the plan to replace the three-in-one policy, but
suggested a thorough discussion before deciding a new system.
"We should publicly discuss the liability of the recently-
proposed sticker system before the administration puts the policy
into effect," he said. (asa/nvn)