Sticker system will not involve private sector

Sticker system will not involve private sector

JAKARTA (JP): The sticker system proposed to replace the
three-in-one traffic regulation will not involve the private
sector, Deputy Governor for Administrative Affairs Abdul Kahfi
said yesterday.

"The city administration will handle the management, control
and operation of the system," he said.

Preparations for implementing the new system have cost between
Rp 6 billion and Rp 7 billion, he said.

Kahfi admitted that private companies had contributed to the
design of the system but that did not mean the administration
would involve them in executing the new project.

There had been speculation that PT Wijaya Wisesa, a company
owned by former Jakarta deputy governor Eddy Nalapraya, had been
awarded the contract to manage the project.

The sticker system is intended to replace the three-in-one
regulation, which has been largely ineffective in easing traffic
congestion. Motorists usually hire the services of children,
known as jockeys, to enable them to meet the 1992 stipulation
that each vehicle entering the restricted zone must be carrying
at least three passengers.

Trials of the new system will take place from August to
November on working days between 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. and
between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Previously, the administration
announced that evening restrictions would apply between 4:30 p.m.
and 6:30 p.m. Only the existing three-in-one zone, which covers
Jl. Thamrin, Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Gatot Subroto, will be included
in the trials.

Motorists will be required to display valid stickers on their
windshield if they wish to enter the restricted zone. Stickers
can be purchased for a single entry, one day unlimited entry or
one month unlimited entry.

However, the administration has not yet decided on pricing
policy for the stickers.

Deputy Governor for Development Affairs Budiardjo Sukmadi said
the trials were intended to study the shortcomings of the system
and to evaluate whether the tariffs were fair.

"We will charge people during the trials because we need to
know if the tariffs are fairly priced.

"If traffic during the trials remains crowded the initial
tariffs might have to be raised. On the other hand, if there is
too little traffic, the fee might need to be decreased," he said.

Kahfi said that vehicles not subject to the sticker system
would include all public transport vehicles, promising that
profits from the sale of stickers would be used primarily to
upgrade the public transport system.

He said that a survey conducted in Feb. showed that 73 percent
of 10,000 vehicles counted during peak traffic hours were private
vehicles, 8 percent were taxis, 7 percent motorcycles, 9 percent
buses and 3 percent other types of vehicle.

Stickers will be sold in 40 banks, shops and supermarkets
around and along the restricted routes.

Meanwhile, chairwoman of the Indonesian Consumers
Organization, Tini Hadad, said the administration should not
charge people during the trials.

"There is no need for the public to buy stickers during the
trials as they are intended mainly to reveal the system's
shortcomings," she said. (ind)