Traffic rule decision will await Sutiyoso foreign trip

Governor Sutiyoso said on Monday that the plan to extend the 3-in-1 traffic policy to the afternoon rush hour would be decided upon after he completes his 12-day trip to Latin America.

The new traffic policy, announced last Wednesday, are related to the plan to implement the 12.9-kilometer busway system, from Blok M in South Jakarta to Kota in West Jakarta.

Currently, only private vehicles with three or more passengers are allowed to travel on Jl. Sudirman, Jl. MH Thamrin and Jl. Gatot Subroto in Central Jakarta during the morning rush hour, between 6:30 a.m. and 10 a.m. The new plan will apply the 3-in-1 ruling to the afternoon rush hour.

The restriction is deemed necessary to ease the anticipated congestion that will be caused by the busway system, once it has been implemented.

Another restriction under study is to prohibit cars with plate numbers ending in certain digits from travel on certain days, as is the case in Singapore.

The administration also plans to develop 14 new feeder routes connecting residential areas with the restricted zone to counterbalance the traffic restrictions.

"I will have to study all the proposed restrictions during my trip; I can make a decision only after doing so," Sutiyoso told reporters.

City spokesman Muhayat said Sutiyoso, who is scheduled to leave on Saturday and to return home on May 7, is to visit Sao Paulo, Brazil; Mexico City, Mexico; Bogota, Colombia; and Quito, Ecuador.

Sutiyoso had received several invitations from the Sao Paulo governor, who visited Jakarta earlier this year.

"There is also a possibility of exploring a sister-city relationship," said Muhayat.

Sutiyoso is also expected to study Mexico City's public transportation management and to take a closer look at the busway systems of Bogota and Quito. -- JP