TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Traffic on Jl. Thamrin increases by 35 percent after motorcycle ban repeal
Change Size
Motorcyclists drive outside the designated motorcycle lane on Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat in Central Jakarta on Jan. 16. (JP/P.J.Leo)
T
raffic congestion along Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta has risen by as much as 35 percent following the Supreme Court’s decision to lift a ban on motorcycles traveling on the thoroughfare, according to Jakarta’s Transportation Agency.
Following the repeal, motorcycles have been allowed to pass through Jl. Thamrin and Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat, provided they stick to the designated motorcycle lane on the left-hand side of the roads.
Jakarta Police director of traffic management Sr. Comr. Halim Pagarra said on Monday that from Feb. 5 to Feb. 11, as many as 812 motorcyclists had been ticketed for straying outside the lanes.
“The high number of violations means we have to further educate motorists so they comply with the ruling,” said Halim as quoted by kompas.com, adding that 583 driver’s licenses and 229 vehicle registration papers had been confiscated.
Halim’s suggestion of an odd-even system for motorcycles along the road, similar to the current policy for cars on Jl. Sudirman, was currently being reviewed by the city administration. (jlm)
