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raffic congestion cost the city up to Rp 46 trillion (US$5.2 billion) last year, the Jakarta Transportation Agency says.

“The losses come from, among others, the cost of wasted fuel, lost working hours and the expensive cost of vehicle maintenance,” city transportation agency head Udar Pristono said in a discussion on Jakarta transportation infrastructure on Tuesday.

He said the data was compiled from a study conducted last year by the Jakarta Transportation Agency.

Pristono, however, was unable to provide further details on the report. He only said that the congestion-related cost number increased from Rp 35 trillion in 2009.

A top Transportation Ministry official said last month that congestion in the capital cost the city at least
Rp 28.1 trillion each year.

The ministry recorded that most of the losses, amounting to Rp 10.7 trillion per year, were spent on wasted fuel.

The worsening traffic congestion also cost at least Rp 9.7 trillion in lost productivity, while losses from traffic-induced health problems reached Rp 5.8 trillion.

Losses associated with traffic congestion cost public transportation operators in the city an estimated Rp 1.9 trillion.

Pristono said that with such an enormous amount of loss, it is urgent for the city administration to quickly tackle traffic problems.

“To handle large problems we should also take serious measures,” he told The Jakarta Post.

In an effort to deal with the congestion, the city administration has been focusing on developing mass public transportation, limiting private vehicle usage and increasing road capacity.

The city is developing the TransJakarta bus rapid transit network and is preparing the city’s first mass rapid transport (MRT) system. The city is at the same time widening roads and constructing additional elevated thoroughfares.

The city government started a project constructing two elevated roads in Central and South Jakarta with a total length of 7.1 kilometers. The project budget is expected to cost taxpayers Rp 2.2 trillion.

Six additional inner-city toll roads to span a total of 67.74 kilometers are also being planned.

Institute of Transportation Studies (Instran) director Darmaningtyas said that the city could first take a stop-gap measure to handle the congestion. He suggested the city make more effective use of roads that are currently operating below their potential capacity.

“Thirty percent of the city streets are not used optimally. They are being used illegally by street vendors and for on-street parking, not to mention public transport vehicles using them to wait for passengers,” Darmaningtyas said.

Slamming the government for being too slow in dealing with traffic problems, Darmaningtyas said that the city government should think about following these en-deavors with more comprehensive solutions.

“If the government is serious about this, they should clean the roads from their illegal occupiers,” he said, adding that the lack of solutions from the city government had prompted Jakartans to use private vehicles.