This is part two of a two-part story.

Proper implementation takes time

So far, there has been no update regarding the implementation plan for the traffic-ticket fine. On several occasions, to find out whether a vehicle had passed the emissions inspection, officers from Jakarta Transportation Agency (Dishub) and cops would stop it in the street, open the emissions-test application and insert the vehicle-registration number.

Vehicle owners that had taken an emissions test and passed it could continue their journey. Those who had yet to get their vehicles inspected were not fined but subsequently asked to participate in an emissions test provided by the DLH on-site.

In mid-October 2022, National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo instructed his personnel not to issue manual tickets for traffic offenders as electronic traffic law enforcement (ETLE) has been gradually implemented. Alternatively, the street camera will record the traffic violators who will receive a ticket sent to their address.

Nevertheless, it is not yet clear how the ETLE will be applied to vehicle users who violate emissions-inspection regulations.

Shidiq emphasizes that a joint effort with the Polda Metro Jaya is inevitable to impose a sanction. 

"Collaboration with the police institution is necessary. It will take a long time to fully implement the regulation because, once again, many people are still not aware [of the importance of getting their vehicles tested for emissions]," he said.

Apart from traffic fines, the regulation also mandates the imposition of the highest parking fee for vehicles that do not pass and have not undergone emission tests. The city government hopes to complete the revision of the Governor regulation concerning the cost of off-street public parking spaces (Pergub No. 120 of 2012) before fully implementing the policy. To date, only a few public parking facilities enforce the regulation. 

"Implementation of the highest parking fee will be effective if the management of private parking places also enforces the regulation. So far, there are 1328 private parking lots in Jakarta. By contrast, there are only 79 public-parking facilities," said Tiyana.

Furthermore, based on the Government Regulation on the Implementation of Environmental Protection and Management (PP No. 21/2021), the emissions test result is planned to be used as the basis to determine environmental pollution taxes on motor vehicles that exceed the emissions standards. The tax policy was planned to take effect on 2 February 2023, two years after the enactment of the regulation, but so far it has not been implemented.

Continuous awareness-raising and better policymaking

Reducing the impact of air pollution in the transport sector requires public participation. Ardiana from the Nawilis repair shop said that his workplace actively informs its customer about emissions-testing services.

"After performing a tune-up, we usually offer them to get their cars tested. Their responses varied. Some of them are willing to participate, but others are reluctant," he said, adding that his workplace occasionally gives free-of-charge emissions inspections for the customers whose cars got tuned up.

Rendra from Astra Honda Motor said that even though his company has placed a banner informing its clients about the test, it does not alter the trend. "These days, our customers tend to delay in taking emissions tests," he said.

Rarely-used expensive machine: The price of emissions-test machines tends to be expensive, but the cost of the testing at Nawilis car repair shop is relatively cheap. However, there are many people who are still reluctant to get their cars inspected for emissions. (JP/Wulan Kusuma Wardhani) (JP/Wulan Kusuma Wardhani)

Amid uncertainty regarding the implementation of traffic fines, Tiyana said that his institution keeps increasing awareness of the importance of emissions tests as a basis for determining additional environmental-pollution taxes.

"We keep raising public awareness on this matter by asking the Jakarta Regional Revenue Agency [Bapenda] to help disseminate this information through Videotron," he said.

Mei emphasized that the city government should be doing more to increase awareness.

"I frequently receive various information from the head of the neighborhood association [RT], but I never get any information about the obligatory emissions tests. Perhaps the provincial government can collaborate with social media accounts [that have numerous followers] to disseminate this policy," she said.

Meanwhile, the involvement of neighboring cities in tackling air pollution in Jakarta is crucial, given the city's target to reduce greenhouse gases by 30 percent by 2030. Nonetheless, the efforts made by surrounding cities have yet to be on par with Jakarta.

"Countless vehicles in Jakarta are owned by people who live in neighboring cities. However, those cities do not have regulations mandating compulsory-emissions tests," said Shidiq, adding that top-level officials should discuss how to cooperate to integrate their efforts to address this problem.

Technology is crucial to provide data on air quality. Shidiq pointed out the application of low-cost sensors to monitor air pollution.

"In Hong Kong, low-cost sensors have been installed on the roads leading to the city center. These devices can help monitor areas with the highest concentrations of pollutants and which locations passed by the highest number of vehicles," he explained.

"It can be seen that, for example, it turns out that the eastern part of the city has a higher pollution level than any other region. Thus, the authorities should prioritize emissions inspection on vehicles from the east region," he added.

This story was produced with support from Internews' Earth Journalism Network.