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Jakarta councillors question odd-even policy extension
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Several cars enter the odd-even license plate policy area on Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat in Central Jakarta on July 27, 2017. (Antara Foto/Aprillio Akbar)
J
akarta councillors have questioned the city administration's decision to extend the odd-even license traffic policy to the end of this year.
Syafruddin, a member of Commission B overseeing economy, urged the administration to focus on applying the long-awaited electronic road pricing (ERP) system instead.
He insisted that the odd-even policy had been ineffective in reducing Jakarta’s traffic congestion.
“The odd-even policy is not a solution but a way to accelerate congestion,” he said on Monday as quoted by tempo.co.
He added that if the downpayment for cars was considered low, it might prompt people to buy another car with a different license plate, allowing them to alternate between vehicles every day.
Furthermore, the ERP will contribute more income to the city budget compared to other programs initiated by the administration, he said.
Another council member, Bimo Hastoro, demanded the Jakarta Transportation Agency to conduct a study on the integration of the odd-even policy with public transportation. He did not elaborate on the details of such a study.
The expanded odd-even policy was initially scheduled to end on Oct. 13, after the conclusion of the 2018 Asian Para Games, but the city administration, along with the police's traffic unit and related institutions, agreed to extend it to Dec. 31.
The police believed the traffic rule had been effective in reducing congestion as well as pollution.
The policy was implemented in July, prior to the 2018 Asian Games, in a bid to ease traffic for visiting athletes, officials and journalists. (sau)
