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Jakarta Post

Odd-even plate policy applied despite all odds

Free pass: Officers help control cars passing through the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta on the first trial day of the odd-even license plate policy on Wednesday

Indra Budiari (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Thu, July 28, 2016

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Odd-even plate policy applied despite all odds

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span class="inline inline-center">Free pass: Officers help control cars passing through the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta on the first trial day of the odd-even license plate policy on Wednesday. The street is one of the city’s main avenues regulated by the policy.(JP/Donny Fernando)

Amid a chorus of criticism from experts in transportation and motorists, Jakarta kicked off on Wednesday a controversial odd-even car license plate traffic regulation in its latest attempt to control the volume of private vehicles during peak hours in the capital.

The traffic regulation, which will be on trial until Aug. 26, requires private cars to take turns entering particular roads in the city based on their plate number ending in an odd or even number, or an odd or even date, during weekdays between the hours of 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Despite advertising the new policy for a month, the first day of the odd-even plate policy revealed that many motorists were unaware of the new program, as many even-numbered cars were seen moving into certain streets that were affected by the policy.

Ernawan Budianto was ordered to supervise the Senayan area in South Jakarta, one of the city’s busiest districts and a listed part of the odd-even policy, along with officers from the Jakarta Transportation Agency. Ernawan said he had distributed at least 100 flyers containing information on the policy to drivers of cars with even-numbered plates.

From 7 a.m., Ernawan and his colleagues approached cars with even-numbered plates when they stopped at the red light at the Senayan traffic circle and told the drivers that they had violated the new policy. Most of the drivers, he said, told him that they were not aware it was the first day of the new policy.

“I thought 100 flyers would be enough for one morning. It turned out that we needed more than that,” Ernawan told The Jakarta Post.

During the trial period, hundreds of officers from the Jakarta Police and the Jakarta Transportation Agency were deployed to the streets to make sure that the public were aware of the new traffic policy. The official enforcement of the regulation is set to begin on Aug. 30. The policy will be applied until the city implements the Electronic Road Pricing System (ERP).

According to recent data released by the Jakarta traffic police, 4,000 new motorcycles and 1,600 cars hit the city everyday, producing a 12 percent annual increase in motor vehicles. The odd-even license plate policy is the latest attempt to encourage people to switch from private cars to public transportation after scrapping the previous three-in-on policy.

Some motorists revealed their strategy of avoiding the policy by using their cars on roads outside the regulation zone and parking them in shopping malls on Jl. Jend. Sudirman and then continuing with public buses.

Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama also tried to avoid the policy by changing his black numbered car plates into the red number plates used by official cars. According to the odd-even policy, cars with RI plate numbers (meaning that they are used by the President, vice president or Cabinet ministers) and red plates (meaning official cars) are excluded from the regulation.

Earlier, Ahok repeatedly maintained his faith in the policy by setting an ambitious target: reducing traffic congestion by 20 percent in the capital.

The decision to effectuate the traffic policy was made despite criticism from various parties including the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI), which called the measure outdated, unsound and one that lacked a legal foundation.

Transportation expert Ellen Tangkudung said the successful implementation of the odd-even license plate policy would depend on law enforcement, citing the 3-in-1 policy as an example of a failed policy that was stymied by the presence of jockeys on the side of the road.

“The policy is worth trying for now. Next month we can see whether or not it is effective or not in reducing congestion,” he told the Post. (adt)

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