Andri Yansyah, head of the city transportation agency, said on Thursday that the motorists would be guided to pass through alternative roads when main thoroughfares were overcrowded.

Motorists traveling to North Jakarta from South Jakarta, for example, will be directed to pass through less crowded roads like Jl. Panglima Polim and on toward Jl. Majapahit. If they are on Jl. Sudirman, they can alter their route to Jl. Pintu Gelora 1 or Jl. Bendungan Hilir to avoid the traffic, Andri said.

The agency had isolated the 45 most crowded areas in the city and these, Andri added, will receive serious attention namely by deploying an increased number of agency officers and traffic police to help motorists seek alternative routes.

Another solution may be to alter traffic lights, extending the duration of the green light in areas that are prone to serious traffic gridlock, he added.

More buses will be deployed along Corridor 1 of the Transjakarta busway network, from Blok M in South Jakarta to Kota in North Jakarta, to provide an alternative to motorists who would like to shift to public transportation. Busway infrastructure will be improved to make sure that private cars do not pass along Transjakarta lanes.

Separately, Riri Asnita, head of the City Bina Marga (Road) Agency planning division said that Bina Marga was in the process of improving the barriers separating Transjakarta corridors from common road lanes and fixing potholes along Jl. Thamrin and Jl Sudirman.

Riri explained that improvement potential was limited at certain sites due to the mass rapid transit (MRT) project.  “If possible, we will fix those parts of the road that are not affected by the MRT project,” Riri said on Wednesday.

According to Andri, the city administration may also discuss the possibility of enforcing cashless payment for all toll road users with the toll road operator PT Jasa Marga in order to speed up the payment process. 

If the proposed solutions to not solve the traffic problem, the Jakarta police may impose traffic restrictions to replace the three-in-one system. An odd-even police plate number may be implemented temporarily prior to the city’s electronic road pricing (ERP) system, he added.

“The administration remains open to any suggestion and we hope discussions can be conducted transparently,” Andri added. (bbn)

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