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City mulls odd-even license plate policy
The Jakarta administration is considering introducing an odd-even license plate regulation to ease traffic in the capital following the cancelation of the decade-long three-in-one policy on Tuesday, Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama says.
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Passengers for hire, known as "jockeys", who help drivers overcome a peak-hour traffic rule of three people per car during rush hours, wait for customers near the main business district in Jakarta. Jakarta suspended the peak-hour traffic rule this week, raising concerns among jockeys that they could lose their livelihoods. (AP/Achmad Ibrahim)
T
he Jakarta administration is considering introducing an odd-even license plate regulation to ease traffic in the capital following the cancellation of the decade-long three-in-one policy on Tuesday, Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama says.
Traffic was not severely congested on Tuesday, when the week-long trial of scrapping the 3-in-1 policy started, Ahok said.
He will evaluate conditions after the trial ends
"After the evaluation of the three-in-one policy removal, we will consider whether to implement the odd-even policy or not. If congestion is worse during the trial period, we will implement it," Ahok announced at City Hall.
The odd-even license plate policy will last only until electronic road pricing (ERP) is introduced next year, he said, adding that the administration had done research on the effectiveness of each policy.
Under the new policy, cars with odd number license plates will be prohibited from using certain thoroughfares on even dates and vice versa.
The administration had initially announced it would prepare the implementation of the license plate regulation during the tenure of then governor Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. The preparation included issuing stickers of two different colors to be put on cars -- red for odd numbers and green for even.
However, the city canceled the plan and decided to prioritize ERP.
The city was unable to implement ERP as there was no legal basis on violations or fees even though several trials had been conducted on Jl. Sudirman in Central Jakarta in July 2014.
Ahok said the city administration needed more time to implement ERP, but vowed to push ahead with it by handing over its management to the Jakarta Transportation Agency.
Despite the city's claim, the Jakarta Traffic Police reported an increase in traffic in previous 3-in-1 locations heading from Slipi, West Jakarta, and Pancoran in South Jakarta to Semanggi, Jakarta Police traffic director Adj. Sr. Comr. Budiyanto said.
The 3-in-1 regulation, which started in 2003, required cars to have at least three occupants.
Ahok decided to cancel the 3-in-1 traffic policy after cases of child exploitation came to light in which adults were using children and babies to act as extra passengers for hire. (rin)
