Toll roads remain congested

Toll roads remain congested

Arya Abhiseka, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Erry Harijanto, 27, admitted on Wednesday that he was only made
aware of the increase in toll road charges in the Jakarta inner-
ring road from a newspaper this morning.

"I do not see any improvement in toll road services this
evening as the road is still heavily congested, especially in the
Cawang area," he told The Jakarta Post.

"But I also did not expect any improvement on the part of toll
operators as I know that they are simply unprofessional," added
Erry, a resident of Kemanggisan, West Jakarta.

The government raised toll road charges by 25 percent on
average across Indonesia starting at midnight on Tuesday, despite
criticism of the operators' commitment to improving their
services and internal management.

The charges for sedans and other light vehicles in the Jakarta
inner-ring road -- well-known for its massive jams during rush
hours -- rose to Rp 4,000 from a previous Rp 3,000. Public buses
will not have to pay the increase.

Public criticism centered on the lack of efforts by both the
government and the operators to explain the hike.

"I do not understand why we have to help finance toll road
networks as we do not get any benefit in return, such as a system
to reduce traffic congestion," said Vivian Idris, a film
publicist who uses toll roads daily.

"I honestly question why the toll road management cannot find
their own funding sources to develop more projects," she added.

The authorities said the increase was to cover the financing
of new toll roads.

Critics and consumers said the increases were unacceptable as
the toll operators, led by state-owned PT Jasa Marga, failed to
provide a free ride to commuters trapped in traffic jams.

The Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI) demanded on
Wednesday that the increase be canceled until the operators
improved services and addressed irregularities.

"We just want to avoid the situation where the public is
actually financing Jasa Marga's debt payment programs," YLHI said
in a statement.

It said the increases violated Law No. 13/1980 on highways,
which stipulated that toll charges had to be based on the
benefits a customer receives, not on the cost of another
investment or on losses that needed to be covered.

"Therefore, the increase is invalid as the consumers' rights
are not protected," the foundation said.

A financial report revealed that the company had losses of up
to Rp 7.55 trillion, half of which were caused by internal
mismanagement. The report was made by public accountant office
Hadi Susanto and Partners and PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC), based
on Jasa Marga's activities between January 1995 and December
1999.

However, according to Jasa Marga's financial report, which was
audited by the public accountant office of Amir Yusuf and Aryanto
Yusuf, the company managed to gain profits of Rp 157 billion in
2001 and Rp 148 billion in 2002.

The hike announced by Minister of Settlements and Regional
Infrastructure Soenarno at his office had been approved by the
House of Representatives.

A presidential decree was issued before the toll hike took
effect.