Ritonga says curbs on vehicles not possible
Ritonga says curbs on vehicles not possible
JAKARTA (JP): City Council Chairman M.H. Ritonga commented on Tuesday that the city police's call to restrict the growing number of vehicles in the city is impossible.
"I think it is impossible to limit the number of vehicles at the moment. Just look at the existing public transportation means now, are they ready to accommodate all the passengers?" Ritonga asked.
However, Deputy City Police Chief Brig. Gen. Hamami Nata said on Monday that it is time now to limit the number of vehicles in the city to help solve traffic jams.
"Traffic problems are not exclusively the job of the police. We are all involved in how to solve them. Therefore it is time now that the City Council start seeking the best way to curb vehicle growth," Hamami said.
Criticizing Hamami's idea, Ritonga said: "Many efforts have been made by the city administration to reduce traffic through the introduction of a number of regulations, including the three- in-one traffic policy and a progressive car tax system."
The most important thing here is how to make people follow the regulation, not violate it, he said.
The three-in-one traffic policy, which has been applied to such major roads as Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Thamrin to discourage the use of private cars over the last few years, has largely been ineffective. Besides shifting traffic to other smaller roads, the policy has caused a mushrooming in the number of "three-in-one kids" who, for a minute fee, offer to ride with motorists traveling with fewer than three passengers.
Sahala P. Sinaga, vice chairman of the City Council's Indonesia Democratic Party faction, supported Ritonga's remarks. "It is not relevant for the City Council to talk about the limitation of automobiles in the city," Sahala said.
"Limiting the number of vehicles is the task of the central government through regulation. Regional regulation alone is not strong enough to solve the matter," he said.
"The police have to be clear about what they mean with the limitation. Is it the limitation over the production of cars or just the number in city?" he asked.
"If they want to limit the number of private cars, we completely agree with them because the traffic jams are caused mainly by the many private cars operating in the city. But we should take a close look at this matter to see whether it is really possible," Sinaga said.
The number of vehicles in Jakarta grows by 14 percent annually. By comparison the growth of road expansion reaches only 1.2 percent per annum.
Sinaga said that the public transportation means available in the city at present are mostly still in poor condition.
"At this time, it is difficult to urge owners of private cars to rely on busses due to their poor service. Moreover, the bus owners cannot guarantee the safety and comfort of their customers," he said.
He also added that the city administration's plan to construct a subway system is one way of solving the traffic problem.
Development of the subway system will start late next year and is expected to be completed by the year 2000. (31)