Sutiyoso tries to put brakes on jalopies

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.

I-box

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