Revised three-in-one traffic policy now official

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The city administration began implementing the revised three-in- one traffic policy on Friday, though it did little to alleviate the usual heavy congestion along the major thoroughfares of Jl. Thamrin and Jl. Sudirman.

Workers began flooding out of their offices along these two streets at about 3 p.m. in order to avoid the restricted zone.

The administration has pushed back the start of the evening three-in-one restriction from 4 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., in response to complaints from vendors in Glodok who said their profit had dropped by 50 percent since the policy's implementation.

"It (the revision) is part of our efforts to boost economic activities along the three-in-one zone, which is similar to the busway corridor that starts from Jl. Sisingamangaraja in Blok M, South Jakarta, to Jl. Gajah Mada in Kota, West Jakarta," Governor Sutiyoso said in a gubernatorial decree on the revised traffic policy dated Sept. 17.

Previously, the three-in-one restriction was enforced on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. in the morning, and 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the evening.

The administration originally extended the hours of the three- in-one policy on Jan. 24, in an effort to support the implementation of the new busway corridor. The traffic policy was expected to encourage private car owners to leave their vehicles at home and take the busway.

However, the Jakarta chapter of the Indonesian Hoteliers Association (PHRI) said on Thursday the extended three-in-one hours had damaged business activities along the three-in-one zone.

"We are suffering monthly potential losses of about Rp 40 billion (US$4.49 million) because of the implementation of the three-in-one policy, especially in the afternoon," said Hari Santosa, the chairman of the PHRI Jakarta chapter.

Association of Indonesian Retailers chairman Handaka Santosa said earlier the traffic restriction discouraged people from visiting shopping centers.

Sutiyoso, however, said his administration would not scrap the policy, despite the complaints.

"This policy is meant to deter people from using private vehicles, which is necessary given the rapid increase in the number of new cars in the city. It is the most lenient traffic policy compared to other cities in the world," he said.

The policy, which was first introduced in 1993, has been criticized as a failure because many private car owners simply hire people off the street to serve as passengers before entering the restricted zone.

Law No. 14/1992 on traffic stipulates that motorists who violate the three-in-one policy can face a maximum sentence of one month in jail and a fine of up to Rp 1 million.