Traffic management key to road chaos

Traffic management key to road chaos

By Mitchell Mackey

The answer to Jakarta's traffic problems is better traffic
management and not a reduction in car sales, according to
Gaikindo Secretary-General F. Soeseno.

He said traffic problems were hurting the car's image and the
industry was committed to working with the government to address
the issue.

"Traffic management is essential, it must be the first
priority." Soeseno said.

"Some people, even government people, have commented that it
may be better to slow down car production because there are too
many cars.But this is not the solution.

"If we check the total population there are still less than
four million cars in a country with 200 million people.

"We have less than one car for every 50 people and if you
compare Indonesia with other countries you will see that we need
greater car production not less," he said.

Soeseno said that both the quality and quantity of traffic
management had to be improved.

He said the government's police and communication departments
must work with the private sector as the solution cannot come
from just one side.

"It must be a combined effort, with the industry providing
input on proposals to the government.

"The government is making every effort to keep Jakarta's roads
in good shape, but this situation happened a long time ago and
there are no easy steps for us to take," Soeseno said.

With better traffic management the pollution levels in cities
like Jakarta will also decrease.

However, the government has yet to act on the introduction and
distribution of unleaded petrol, which would be considered to be
another aid to pollution reduction.

Soeseno said it could be another two or three years before the
government had a clear policy on unleaded petrol.

Leaded petrol is acknowledged as a significant public health
problem, as its exhaust gases increase the lead content in the
atmosphere.

Over the past decade many countries have moved to phase out
leaded petrol by legislating for their car industries to sell
only cars that have engines tuned for unleaded petrol together
with exhaust devices called catalytic converters that filter out
most toxic materials.

However, Soeseno said Indonesia had not yet reached the point
where the government would legislate for mandatory use of
unleaded fuel.

"We have not reached the mandatory point yet," he said.

One of the major problems delaying the introduction of
unleaded petrol was the absence of a national distribution
system.

Four years ago Indonesia's petrol refiners cooperated with the
government to introduce a leaded fuel called pre-mix which has
significantly reduced lead content.

The Association of Indonesian Automotive Industries said that
pre-mix has been a successful initiative and any government move
to insist that car companies sell only unleaded petrol vehicles
would be useless if the fuel was not widely distributed first.

However, petrol stations will not stock the fuel until there
is sufficient demand and consumers will not demand it until it is
available.