Sutiyoso tries to put brakes on jalopies

Damar Harsanto and Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Governor Sutiyoso has tried to shift the blame for Jakarta's perennial traffic jams onto pre-1990 cars coming into the city from the outlying towns of Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi.

He emphasized that it was these that were the main reason behind the issuance of a gubernatorial decree banning old cars from the city's streets.

Sutiyoso, who was speaking to reporters after a joint workout with Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Makbul Padmanagara and Jakarta Military Commander Maj. Gen. Djoko Santoso at the Bung Karno Sports Complex in Senayan, Central Jakarta, also pointed out that over two million vehicles from outside Jakarta entered the city every day.

"The worst part is that although many old cars from these four cities cause traffic congestion here, their owners don't pay any taxes to the Jakarta administration," he complained.

Sutiyoso claimed that similar policies banning old cars had been imposed in major cities around the world, including Singapore.

"Even in Bali, vehicles of more than five years old are not permitted to operate," he said.

However, he said that the implementation of the decree would depend on the reaction of the public.

As of June this year, the Jakarta Police Traffic Division had recorded a total of five million vehicles as being registered in the city.

The plan to restrict old cars is included in the draft transportation bylaw that is currently under discussion in the City Council. The draft was submitted by administration officials even though the City Revenue Agency objected to the plan, fearing it would reduce the city's revenue.

Irzal Djamal, an assistant to the city secretary for development affairs, however, said that the proposed ban was only one of a number of difficult issues to be discussed during the deliberation of the bylaw.

"All parties support the plan to restrict old cars, but exactly what form this restriction will take has yet to agreed upon," he said.

Sutiyoso left for Kuala Lumpur on Friday to discuss the offer by Malaysian firm M Trans Holding to build a monorail connecting Bekasi, Jakarta and Tangerang.

Irzal said the visit was aimed at assessing the capabilities and seriousness of the Malaysian investor in developing such a major transportation project.

Irzal, who is accompanying Sutiyoso during the visit, said that the Jakarta delegation was expected to meet Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad or, at least, the country's minister of finance to ascertain whether the Malaysian government supported the plan.

Sutiyoso also revealed that he had received another offer, this time from a British company, expressing an interest in constructing a monorail in the city.

"They (the British company) claim their technology is more sophisticated," he said, adding that the city would encourage the company to submit a full proposal to the administration.

Irzal said that the British investor was only represented so far by a financial arranger, PT Fund Mandari.

He asserted that the administration was now waiting for a feasibility study from PT Indonesian Transit Central, a consortium set up to develop the monorail project, before any contract could be signed.

The consortium comprises local companies PT Adhi Karya, Global Profex Synergy and Radiant Utama.

PT Indonesian Transit Central's chief executive Ruslan Diwirjo said that the Malaysian firm was prepared to invest Rp 3.28 trillion (US$386 million) in the first stage of the project, including the construction of stations.

The project would link Bekasi in the east and Tangerang in the west, a distance of about 22.5 kilometers, via various major arteries in Jakarta, including Jl. Casablanca, which is notorious for its traffic jams. It will take at least two-and-a-half years before the monorail is up and running.

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Private cars in Jakarta 1,500,000 Motorcycles in Jakarta 2,790,000 Public transportation vehicles in Jakarta 315,000 Total vehicles in Greater Jakarta 5,000,000 Vehicles produced before 1990 in Greater Jakarta 629,000

Source: City Transportation Agency and Jakarta Police