Govt to discuss possibility of limiting numbers of private vehicles

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Mon, 07/07/2008 5:05 PM  |  National

The government is considering passing a regulation to limit the growth in vehicles numbers as part of a campaign to save energy and to reduce the oil fuel subsidy, says an official.

The Transportation Ministry's director general of land transportation, Iskandar Abu Bakar, told Elshinta Radio on Monday that efforts to limit the number of vehicles had been included in a bill on traffic and land transportation to be discussed in August 2008.

Iskandar said the bill aims to limit vehicle use and vehicle ownership. The fist step is to limit vehicle use, he said.

Methods such as limiting parking space and increasing parking prices would decrease the mobility of private vehicles. But, more importantly, the government needs to provide better public
transportation, he added.

The vehicle growth in Indonesia has reached 46 percent a year, while the state subsidy Rp 5,000 (about 54 U.S. cents) for each liter of fuel oil. (**)

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