T

he Transportation Agency will implement a new towing system starting next Monday to prevent illegal parking.

According to the agency'€™s head of land transportation, Syafrin Liputo, the agency will use a tow truck and take cars to one of three designated lots: Rawa Buaya in West Jakarta, Pulogebang in East Jakarta or Tanah Merdeka in South Jakarta.

'€œCar owners will be fined Rp 500,000 [US$42.68] for each night that their cars stay in the lot,'€ Syafrin told reporters at the Transportation Agency office in Central Jakarta on Monday.

He added that the agency would cooperate with city-owned lender Bank DKI to implement the system.

'€œThe Transportation Agency will send information about the towed car to Bank DKI '€” such as the license plate number, car type, the location from where it was towed and the lot into which the car would be placed,'€ Syafrin said.

Then, he said, the car owner must send a text message to the agency'€™s number of 087799200900 in the format: '€œParkir [license number]'€.

'€œThe car owner will receive a text message with a virtual account number and instructions on how to pay the fine,'€ Syafrin said.

According to Bank DKI head of cash management system department Ellan Satria, the fine can be paid through a bank transfer or in cash through Bank DKI.

'€œPayment through a bank transfer or through Bank DKI will be easier for the car owners. It will also prevent corruption and illegal levies,'€ Ellan told reporters during the same occasion.

After making the payments, car owners must pick up their cars from the designated lots.

Meanwhile, Transportation Agency deputy head Benjamin Bukit said the agency would implement the system in only five places during the first phase.

'€œFor the first phase, the system will be implemented in five places, one for each municipality, excluding the Thousand Islands: in Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta, in Marunda in North Jakarta, in Jatinegara in East Jakarta, in Kalibata in South Jakarta and in Kota Tua in West Jakarta,'€ he said.

Benjamin said the agency would gradually expand the system and eventually implement it in all areas across Jakarta.

He added that the Transportation Agency had prepared 14 tow trucks for the task and would purchase another 20 next year.

Benjamin said the agency would announce the new system to the city'€™s residents by informing the media and putting up banners across the city.

'€œWe will be ruthless in preventing illegal parking. If car owners cannot afford to pay the fine, then they should think before parking in a prohibited space,'€ he said.

Separately, Deputy Governor Basuki '€œAhok'€ Tjahaja Purnama praised the agency for the new system.

'€œHopefully, the new system will be effective in preventing illegal parking. Hopefully, car owners will learn their lesson,'€ Ahok told reporters at City Hall in Central Jakarta on Monday.

Ahok said that illegal parking contributed to 20 percent of the city'€™s traffic congestion and must be stopped.

'€œCars parked illegally cause traffic congestion. There is a reason why some streets are not meant to be parked in. The system will help reduce traffic congestion,'€ Ahok said.

Moreover, he added, he hoped that payment through bank transfers would prevent corruption.

'€œNo more officers will be able to take the funds from fines for their own use. The city'€™s income will increase with this system,'€ Ahok said.

Aside from the towing system, the city administration will install a parking meter system in business district on Jl. Sabang in Central Jakarta in September.

The Transportation Agency'€™s previous efforts, such as deflating and locking tires, have not succeeded in preventing illegal parking.

According to the agency, the city had lost at least Rp 200 billion in 2013 in potential income from illegal parking.