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Large trucks to be off Cikampek turnpike in rush hour
Truck limitation: Vehicles drive past the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road in Bekasi, West Java
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span class="inline inline-center">Truck limitation: Vehicles drive past the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road in Bekasi, West Java. The Greater Jakarta Transportation Agency is considering restricting the number of trucks allowed to pass Cikampek toll road from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.(JP/Ibrahim Irsyad)
Unlike regular roads, turnpikes in Greater Jakarta are so overrun by cars that people literally spend money sitting in traffic jams.
Among the worst cases is the Jakarta-Cikampek, where motorists travel at 16 kilometer per hour (kph) during rush hour, far slower than what is required by the Traffic and Road Transportation Law, which is 60 kph.
As a major commuting and logistic lane that links residential areas in Tangerang, industrial zones in Bekasi and business and financial hubs in Jakarta, the toll road is saturated with vehicles.
Last month, for example, an average of 10,351 vehicle per hour used the road, according to the Greater Jakarta Transportation Body (BPTJ), where it actually can only carry 9,200 vehicles.
“The Jakarta-Cikampek tollroad, we have been attempting a shift from private vehicles to public transportation, but to no avail,” said BPTJ head Bambang Prihartono.
The traffic has been more congested lately on the back of multiple construction projects happening simultaneously: the Jakarta–Cikampek elevated toll road, the light rail transit (LRT) connecting the capital and East Bekasi in West Java and a toll road connecting Cibitung in West Java and Cilincing in North Jakarta.
After months of discussion with other stakeholders, the BPTJ announced on Thursday that it is planning to restrict large trucks with four and five axles from Bekasi entering the toll road between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.
The trucks, which accounts for 3 percent of the truck volume passing through the toll road, will be prohibited from entering the section linking Kalihurip to Bekasi Barat, which is expected to ease traffic flow into Jakarta in the morning.
“Although the number [of large trucks] is small, their slow speed significantly contributes to traffic jams,” Bambang further said, adding that with the new regulation, the Cikampek toll road is estimated to move at 20 kph.
The information about the policy will be disseminated starting on Monday for a week before it will be tested from Oct. 16 to 20.
“After that, there will be a week of evaluation. If we see we need more assessment, we will conduct another test for a week before we decide to permanently implement it or not,” Bambang said.
Before the restriction plan, officials mulled several policies to reduce the congestion, including establishing a high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane designated for commuter buses. The ministerial regulation was issued by the Transportation Ministry on Oct. 4 and will be fully implemented soon after the BPTJ sets up road marks for the lane.
In August, it also revealed a plan to implement an odd-even policy on the turnpike but canceled it after commuters rejected it. “With the restriction and the HOV lane, it is expected that vehicle speed in Cikampek toll roads during rush hours can reach 30 kph,” he added.
The HOV-lane policy alone cannot force private vehicle users to switch to public transportation, said Karlo Manik, BPTJ’s traffic and transport director.
“From an evaluation on the HOV-lane policy last month, we can say that not enough private car owners are shifting to public transportation,” he said.
Hendra Lesmana of the Indonesian Industrial Zone Association said the truck restriction plan had gained support from foreign companies in Cikarang.
“These traffic jam reduction measures have been long-awaited by investors,” he said after the meeting, adding that the companies in 20 industrial zones in Bekasi and Karawang in West Java asked for a week to disseminate the issue.
Kyatmaja Lookman of the Indonesian Truck Business Association (Aptrindo) said that the association agreed with the policy because it would not heavily impact business.
“Previously, we disagreed with the policy, but then officials came up with a time frame that does not severely restrict the movement of our trucks,” said Kyatmaja. “We eventually agreed on it. […] Moreover, it is a momentum that will prove whether our trucks have contributed much to the Cikampek toll road [traffic].”
