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Despite numerous delays, ERP still feasible: Expert
Standing idle: Vehicles pass through a gantry of the electronic road pricing (ERP) system on Jl
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tanding idle: Vehicles pass through a gantry of the electronic road pricing (ERP) system on Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat, Central Jakarta, on Tuesday. The proof-of-concept test for three companies that have passed the pre-qualification round for the procurement of the ERP system, initially scheduled for Tuesday, was delayed for unspecified reasons. The test aims at determining the tender winner.(JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
Hopes were high when it was reported that the city administration would finally run a trial of a long-anticipated electronic road pricing (ERP) system designed to help alleviate Jakarta’s seemingly never-ending traffic woes.
However, Jakarta’s traffic authority has denied the report. “It’s not a trial run, it’s part of the tender process called proof of concept [PoC], which includes technical evaluation,” Jakarta Transportation Agency acting head Sigit Widjatmoko said recently. However, he did not specify a reason for the delay.
Three companies have passed the pre-qualification phase in the procurement tender for the ERP. Through the PoC, the city will decide the winner and proceed with the official implementation on more roads across the city.
As of today, an ERP gantry has been installed on Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat in Central Jakarta. The city initially planned to conduct a trial run of the ERP system in October. At the same time, the city administration was deliberating over the legal basis to allow the implementation of the system, which is expected to be issued in December.
The use of an ERP system as a measure to address the capital’s traffic congestion was mentioned in Presidential Regulation No. 55/2018 on the Greater Jakarta transportation master plan for the years 2018 to 2029. Authorities said they hoped the ERP could replace the odd-even license plate policy as a way to alleviate road congestion in Jakarta by charging drivers substantial fees.
The odd-even license plate policy has been enforced since May 2016 on Jl. Sudirman and Jl. MH Thamrin from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
However, prior to and during the Asian Games and the Asian Para Games the policy was enforced for 15 hours straight daily on Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat, Jl. MH Thamrin, Jl. Jend. Sudirman, some parts of Jl. Jend. S. Parman, Jl. Gatot Subroto, Jl. HR Rasuna Said, Jl. Jend. MT Haryono, Jl. Jend. DI Panjaitan and Jl. Jend. Ahmad Yani.
After the sporting events, the odd-even license policy was still applied on those roads, but was divided into two time frames: from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and then in the afternoon to evening from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. The policy is to remain in place until December.
Earlier in October, Sigit outlined his plan to officially implement the ERP once the MRT begins operating in March 2019.
Echoing Sigit’s statement, Greater Jakarta Transportation Body (BPTJ) head Bambang Prihartono said that there would be three ERP rings in the city.
The first ring is to be on Jl. Sudirman and Jl. MH Thamrin in Central Jakarta, while the second ring is to be on other main roads in Jakarta. The third ring, meanwhile, is to include the national roads in the city’s border areas.
The ERP, which had been in planning for more than a decade, has faced frequent delays for various reasons. However, despite all the delays, Jakarta Transportation Council (DTKJ) head Iskandar Abubakar said he was still optimistic the ERP would officially begin operating in 2019.
“It’s feasible and it’s necessary. The existing odd-even [license plate number] policy can only reduce the number of vehicles on the roads for the short term. The ERP will do the job for the long term,” he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Iskandar said one matter that had always gotten in the way of realizing the ERP system was the tender process. Without explaining the details of the problem, he called on the city administration to immediately sort things out and appoint one company to install the facility so that the ERP could operate soon.
Some 205 vehicles comprising motorcycles, cars, buses and trucks have had on-board units (OBU) installed in their bodies. When the vehicles pass a gantry, data of the OBUs, including the time and date, will be automatically read by sensors in the gantry and payment transactions are subsequently conducted. The road-use fare is to depend on the type of the vehicle.
Those vehicles were initially to take part in the planned 20-day PoC test before it was delayed.
Sigit said if everything ran according to the plan, the ERP system could be installed at the end of this year.
