Two-stroke bikes phased out

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The Jakarta administration has asked the Office of the State Minister for the Environment to go ahead with its plan to ban the production of two-stroke motorcycles in a bid to minimize air pollution in the capital.

"We hope State Minister Nabiel Makarim does not delay the plan, so starting next year there will be no more new two-stroke motorcycles being sold in the city," said Jakarta Environmental Management Agency head Kosasih Wirahadikusumah on Tuesday at Plaza Indonesia in Central Jakarta, where free vehicle emission tests were being performed.

The city official was referring to Decree No. 141/2003 from the Office of the State Minister for the Environment, which stipulates that all new vehicles, including motorcycles, must comply with the Euro 2 standard. The decree will take effect on Jan. 1, 2005.

Euro 2, which came into effect in Europe in 1996, permits exhaust emissions of nitrous oxide up to 7.0 grams per kilowatt- hour, hydrocarbons 1.1 g/kWh, carbon monoxide 4.0 g/kWh and particulates 0.15 g/kWh.

Kosasih said two-stroke motorcycles had the "highest emissions" of all motorized vehicles.

"A two-stroke engine motorcycle has emission levels equal to the emissions produced by 10 four-stroke motorcycles and 20 cars," he said.

Of the approximately four million motorized vehicles in the city, some 2.6 million of them are motorcycles, which are relatively inexpensive and easy to purchase. Of the 2.6 million motorcycles, one million have two-stroke engines.

Jakarta had only 25.55 days of "good" air quality last year, and environmentalists have reiterated that reducing vehicle emissions would significantly curb air pollution in the city.

Vehicle emissions account for up to 70 percent of air pollution in the city. The remaining 30 percent comes from industrial emissions.

Long-term exposure to air pollution -- especially carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxide and particulates -- can adversely affect a person's respiratory and nervous systems.

An official at the state minister's office in charge of vehicle emissions, Linda Krisnawati, said her office would proceed with the plan to ban the production of two-stroke motorcycles.

"Of course, we cannot guarantee that the implementation of the plan will take place simultaneously nationwide," she said.

Linda said two-stroke motorcycles were in high demand in certain areas due to their performance on rough and hilly tracks.

"I do not think this policy will hit a serious snag in Jakarta. Using a two-stroke motorcycles in Jakarta is unnecessary since the city has straight roads," she said.

PT Honda Astra Motor, the country's largest motorcycle manufacturer, has said it supports the planned ban.

"We will support the government's policy to promote a better environment," said company spokesman Yulian Warman.

He added that Honda Astra Motor would not be affected by the policy because the company only manufactured four-stroke motorcycles.