It has been a year since the Jakarta Police painted yellow boxes at main junctions around the city but many motorists have been left in the dark with regard to the function of such marks.

'€œWhat is that? I have never been aware of that. Where is it?'€ questioned Pringgo Trikusumo, an employee of a private company in West Jakarta when asked about yellow box junctions.

Pringgo often commutes by car to his girlfriend'€™s house in Central Jakarta from his house in Ciputat, South Tangerang, but said that he had not realized that such marks existed.

Similarly, banker Hita Arthati said that she did not know the exact purpose of the marks although she had seen them at an intersection near the Sarinah shopping center in Central Jakarta.

She went on to say that she had assumed that the box was a border to reduce gridlock at the intersection, a line to show motorists where they should stop when the traffic light was red.

The head of law enforcement at the Jakarta Police traffic unit, Adj. Sr. Comr. Budiyanto said that yellow box junctions had been introduced as an attempt to reduce traffic congestion at crowded intersections around the capital, such as the intersections located near Sarinah, Al-Azhar Mosque in South Jakarta and the PGC Cililitan wholesale market in East Jakarta.

The marks, which were first set by the city administration on Jl. Kebon Sirih in Central Jakarta last year, serves as an indicator that motorists should not make their way to another road section if the yellow box junction is not yet clear of vehicles, said Budiyanto, adding that although a traffic light might be green, motorists should wait until there were no vehicles remaining at the junction.

'€œMotorists should follow the marks first in such a situation,'€ Budiyanto said.

He added that according to Article 287, Paragraph 2 in amendment of Article 106, Paragraph 4, of Law No. 22/2009 on traffic and road transportation, the police can charge those motorists who violate the traffic marks and mentioned that the penalty was a maximum of two months in prison or a maximum fine of Rp 500,000 (US$36).

The police, according to Budiyanto, have yet to ticket disobedient motorists as many had not been adequately informed about the junctions.

He admitted that the police and the city administration, whom had been responsible for deciding the location of each yellow box junction, had not yet broadcast the function effectively.

Motorists continue to violate yellow box junction rules, he said.

Nonetheless, he said, the police had been trying to inform motorists over the past two months by broadcasting information through social media platforms, radio and banners.

Pilot Bonaventura Kenji Sewoko recently learned about the function of the yellow boxes from social media. He said that he had learned of the junctions after reading a friend'€™s post on Path.

Like Kenji, copywriter Ajeng Pramesti said that she knew about the junctions thanks to a broadcast message she received almost a year ago.

Meanwhile, another private company employee, Yohanes Yongky Hartanto, said that he had discovered the purpose of the yellow box after he had noticed the marks painted near Sarinah and took the initiative to search for information on the internet. (agn)

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