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Police target motorcycles in massive operation
The Jakarta Traffic Police will focus on ticketing motorcyclists who ride against the flow of traffic and public transportation vehicles that stop recklessly in this yearâs Operation Zebra, which is set to commence on Wednesday
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he Jakarta Traffic Police will focus on ticketing motorcyclists who ride against the flow of traffic and public transportation vehicles that stop recklessly in this year's Operation Zebra, which is set to commence on Wednesday.
Jakarta Traffic Police law enforcement head Adj. Sr. Comr Hindarsono said on Tuesday that the police were focusing mainly on motorcycles because of the high number of accidents that involved them.
'Although we can't say for sure that there is a correlation between the high number of accidents and motorcyclists who ride against the flow of traffic, our observations have made us realize how reckless motorcyclists can be,' he said, adding that the operation would run until Dec. 9.
- Annual traffic operation to focus on two most frequent violations
- Police to deploy 2,800 personnel for operation
- 62,691 motorists ticketed for going against traffic flow
According to Jakarta Traffic Police data, 61 percent of the 4,308 accidents that occurred from January to October involved motorcycles.
Furthermore, the police ticketed 62,691 motorists for going against the flow of traffic from January to September, with 9,233 motorists fined in October alone.
Separately, Traffic Police operational unit head Adj. Sr. Comr. Budiyanto said that they had chosen to focus on those two traffic violations because both had high rates of violators in Greater Jakarta.
'Going against the flow of traffic is extremely dangerous and stopping carelessly could lead to traffic jams. We certainly don't need more of that,' he said.
According to Jakarta Traffic Police data, 5,964 motorists were ticketed in October alone for abruptly stopping to drop off and pick up passengers, an increase from 4,466 motorists ticketed in September.
Budiyanto said 2,800 officers would be deployed on a daily basis during the Rp 2.9 billion (US$ 238,200) operation, much more than the 1,500 officers normally deployed every day.
These officers would be divided depending on how notorious an area was for the two violations.
Budiyanto cited Jl. Garuda in Central Jakarta, Jl. S. Parman and under the Slipi Jaya Bridge in West Jakarta and Jl. Lenteng Agung in South Jakarta as areas with high rates of motorcyclists going against the flow of traffic.
Meanwhile, he said that Jl. Letnan Jenderal Suprapto in West Jakarta and Jl. Jatinegara Barat in East Jakarta as places public transportation vehicles liked to stop recklessly.
'We do this operation every year to remind the public of how important following traffic regulations are,' he said.
Motorcycle taxi driver Iwan, 51, said he felt the police's focus on motorcyclists this year was unfair and made his job harder.
'It's unfair; all we are doing is trying to get to our destinations faster without having to make U-turns on some roads. We're smaller in size than cars and always go against the flow of traffic on the side of the road. Plus, we always wear helmets for safety,' he said angrily.
Iwan, who is based in Semanggi, Central Jakarta, said that he had never been cited by police for riding against the flow of traffic.
'My customers never complain and sometimes they tell me they're glad they got to their destination faster,' he said.
