However, we believe the main catalyst of Jakarta's traffic problems is the poor state of the city's public transportation, which forces commuters to drive their own vehicles. Therefore, any traffic restriction policy will be defeated as long as it is not accompanied with serious efforts to improve public transport.

The ERP system, which has been implemented in a number of world cities like Singapore, London, and Stockholm, will replace the existing 3-in-1 system currently imposed on the city's arterial roads Jl. Thamrin, Jl. Sudirman, and Jl. Gatot Subroto during the morning and afternoon peak hours.

Your comments:

It is indeed regrettable that the Jakarta administration is still using a "trial and error" policy in order to address the acute traffic problems in Jakarta. I am quite shocked to see that even though the officials of the Jakarta administration have done uncountable study visits abroad, they still fail to have a strong political commitment to resolve the traffic problems, that is, to provide an efficient Massive Rapid Transit System (MRT).

How can they adopt the ERP system if there is no decent MRT system that could be an alternative to cars or motorbikes?

I just hope and pray that God will bless the Jakarta administration so it will start to build a good MRT like the one it already saw in Singapore, New York, London . the list goes on and on.

I think it is high time the central government took over the administration of Jakarta and started providing the appropriate management a metropolis such as Jakarta needs.

If Jakarta, as the showcase of Indonesia, is in such a bad way, how else can we show the world that Indonesia is indeed a big and important country?

Ferry Akbar Pasaribu
Brussels, Belgium

I am as mystified as you are. If, as the government alleges, the 3-in-1 policy has failed to adequately reduce congestion because drivers use paid passengers, how will the road pricing system help?

If drivers can simply pay Rp 20,000 road fee instead of paying Rp 20,000 to their passengers, what incentive do they have to stay off the roads?

Personally, I prefer the 3-in-1 system. At least that way the money goes into the hands of people who really need it.

John Hargreaves
Jakarta

Twenty-five working days a month times Rp 20,000 (US$2.20) may not add up to the required minimum wage, however, it is a lot more than many families make a month.

The system is simply full of holes and will never stop the traffic chaos in Jakarta.

Only a well-organized and well-managed public/private transportation system can do that, taking passengers in and out of the main Jakarta hub.

Henry Manoe
Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara

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