The city administration will continue to let the air out of the tires of vehicles parked illegally on busy streets, as it has found the measure effectively deters motorists from violating no-parking zones.

Last week, officials from the Transportation Agency took to the streets to remove the valve stems from the tires of thousands of motorcycles, cars, trucks and even public buses that were illegally parked on roadsides around Glodok shopping center in West Jakarta, Roxy Mas shopping center in Central Jakarta, on Jl. Pramuka, Jl. Pemuda and Jl. Matraman Raya in Central Jakarta as well as on Jl. Yos Sudarso in North Jakarta.

Governor Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo said that disabling illegally parked vehicles made drivers think twice before obstructing streets.

'€œIt has been quite effective. According to the reports I have received, so far only one or two vehicles parked again in spots that had already been raided,'€ he said after a student questioned the efficacy of the operations during a general lecture at a university in West Jakarta last week.

The governor said the Transportation Agency would continue the program, which was expected to ease traffic congestion in the capital.

'€œIf they find second-time offenders, they will tow their car or motorcycle,'€ he said, adding that if motorists were caught parking illegally for a third time, the city would revoke their driver'€™s license.

Meanwhile, Deputy Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama said Roxy Mas, Blok M and Glodok would become the priority areas targeted by the program.

Head of the Transportation Agency Udar Pristono said deflating the tires of illegally parked vehicles would become a regular agency practice.

According to the agency, people who parked their vehicles illegally were breaching parking regulations stipulated in Article 278 of Law No. 22/2009 and Article 33 of Bylaw No. 12/2003, which carried a maximum fine of Rp 250,000 or up to one month in jail.

He said the agency had disabled some 3,000 vehicles and had confiscated 1,000 valve stems in one week of operations.

Some motorists, however, ignore the threat and continue to park in illegal roadside areas monitored by unsanctioned parking attendants. One such lot on Jl. KH Hasyim Ashari in front of Roxy Mas shopping center contained vehicles parked on the sidewalk, which was already jam-packed with street vendors.

Aleana of Cengkareng in West Jakarta said she used the illegal parking service on the street because she did not want to bother taking a longer route to reach the shopping center'€™s parking lot.

'€œIt is easier to park here. I know about the program [of letting the air out of tires], but I'€™ll just take the risk,'€ she said, adding that she only paid Rp 2,000 (2 US cents) to the
unsanctioned parking attendant.

Owners of vehicles whose valve stems had been confiscated were supposed to reclaim them at the Transportation Agency office on Jl. Taman Jatibaru in Cideng, Central Jakarta, but most of them had just gone to the nearest streetside tire stall.

Deni, who has been patching flat tires out of his stall in front of Roxy Mas for four years, said he only charged his customers Rp 2,000 per tire to replace the valve stem.

'€œI did not raise the rate when more people started coming here. These people are having misfortune,'€ he said.

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