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n a bid to overcome congestion and facilitate safer crossings for pedestrians, the Jakarta Transportation Council (DTKJ) has recommended the city administration create advanced stop lines (ASLs) for motorcyclists at intersections.

DTKJ secretary Aully Grashinta said in a discussion on Tuesday that 67 percent of road users were motorcyclists, so it would be appropriate if the city administration and the police paid special attention to organizing them on the roads. '€œThe number of motorcycles in Jakarta is so huge, giving them a dedicated space at intersections would organize traffic better,'€ she said.

Motorcyclists slipping between cars in congestion in Jakarta are often blamed as the cause of accidents and chaos on the roads.

Aully said that based on research in Bandung on ASLs in 2011, the concept proved effective. '€œThe number of traffic conflicts at intersections decreased when ASLs were provided,'€ she said.

She explained the traffic conflicts decreased from 133.39 per 1,000 vehicles to 24.68 per 1,000 vehicles in the morning rush hour when motorcyclists stopped in the ASLs.

ASLs are frequently provided, usually for bicycles, in European cities and are often known as bike boxes. Aully said that in order to apply the concept in Jakarta, the city'€™s transportation agency should provide data on the number of motorcycles that pass through particular intersections.

'€œThe number would determine the size of the box,'€ she said.

Jakarta Police traffic security and safety subdivision chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Irvan Prawira admitted Jakarta lagged behind neighboring cities. '€œSatellite cities like Tangerang and Bekasi already have them,'€ he said, adding, however, that some of them had been erased.

He said that applying ASLs in the capital city could have some complications. '€œThe amount of vehicles in the morning and afternoon is different, for example,'€ he said.

Other factors would be the time required to educate motorcyclists on the concept and the physical cost as the road-markings did not use conventional paint but thermoplastic material.

Irvan said the police had started examining which intersections would be suitable for the ASLs. '€œWe will pilot with one or two intersections per municipality,'€ he said.