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Police propose staggered office hours to relieve Jakarta traffic
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Jakarta has long struggled with severe traffic congestion, with more than 20 million motorized vehicles traveling its roads and millions more commuting from its satellite cities every day. (Antara/Galih Pradipta)
T
he Jakarta Police have advised the city administration to alter office working hours to tackle the capital’s severe traffic congestion during peak commuting hours.
Newly appointed Jakarta Police traffic director Sr. Comr. Latif Usman has proposed a plan that would require some offices to shift their employees' work schedules so that they would not have to commute during peak hours.
"Based on our research, the main cause of Jakarta's severe rush-hour congestion is due to office workers leaving at the same time," Latif said, as quoted on the National Police website on Friday.
"If we shift their working schedules so that some workers start their morning session after peak commuting times, maybe at 10 or 11 a.m., or even change their schedule to the afternoon or night, we would be able to greatly reduce traffic during both the morning and evening rush hours," he added.
Latif claimed the plan would complement the odd-even license plate policy in place on 25 major thoroughfares in Jakarta.
Introduced in 2016, the odd-even policy bars vehicles from certain roads on certain days based on the terminal digit of their license plates and the day of the month. If both are odd, then the vehicle may use the road, and if both are even, the vehicle may use the road.
Jakarta Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria said the city administration would consider Latif's suggestion and would discuss the plan with the Jakarta Transportation Agency, the central government and business owners, among other stakeholders.
