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)