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Jakarta to extend hours of odd-even policy in September
Car use diet: Busy traffic is seen at an intersection in Central Jakarta on Tuesday
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ar use diet: Busy traffic is seen at an intersection in Central Jakarta on Tuesday. The city administration has announced plans to extend the hours of the odd-even policy on major roads.(JP/Rafaela Chandra)
Commended as a contribution to smoother traffic management during last year’s Asian Games, the expansion of the odd-even traffic policy is back on track as the Jakarta administration scrambles to fight the choking smog blanketing the capital.
The plan for the extension was included in the 2019 gubernatorial instruction issued by Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan on measures his administration would take regarding air pollution.
Among the measures was the expansion of the odd-even license plate traffic policy that would officially start on Sept. 1 following a trial this month.
“We will announce the routes next week prior to the trial period. Then, the policy will be fully enforced on Sept 1,” Anies said on Thursday, hours after the first hearing of a civic lawsuit against the city and the central government over poor management of worsening air quality in the city.
The policy limits the number of cars on the city’s streets by only allowing access to vehicles with odd-number license plates on odd-numbered dates and vice versa.
The policy was first put in place in May 2016 when then-Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama changed the decades-old car limitation policy called the 3-in-1 policy.
The expanded odd-even policy was implemented in July last year prior to the Asian Games that Jakarta cohosted. It was effective for 15 hours from 6 a.m to 9 p.m. every day excluding weekends and national holidays.
The enforcement was initially meant to end after the Asian Para Games in October, however the city decided to extend it in January this year.
The current odd-even policy is in effect from 6 a.m to 9 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays. The roads with the odd-even policy include 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.
Information on the new routes for the policy had circulated online, stating that the trial would run from Aug. 5 to 31. Besides the existing routes, the new routes include Jl. RS. Fatmawati, Jl. Panglima Polim, Jl. Sisingamangaraja, Jl. Pramuka, Jl. Salemba Raya, Jl. Kramat Rayat, Jl. Gunung Sahari, Jl. Majapahit, Jl. Gajah Mada, Jl. Hayam Wuruk, Jl. Suryopranoto, Jl. Balikpapan and Jl. Tomang Raya.
However, the Transportation Agency through its official Instagram @dishubdkijakarta said it was not yet official as the city administration was in talks with the National Police traffic unit, the Jakarta Police’s Traffic Directorate, the Greater Jakarta Transportation Agency (BPTJ) and other relevant stakeholders.
BPTJ head Bambang Prihartono welcomed the plan as the upcoming regulation could improve both traffic and the environment.
“This is a good short-term policy in the effort to reduce air pollution. It will be feasible at least for one year,” he told The Jakarta Post on Saturday, adding that it should be a catalyst for the city administration to implement electronic road pricing to limit cars entering the city.
The BPTJ had previously suggested the city administration continue the 15-hour-long odd-even traffic policy like the one during the Asian Games as it had been effective in increasing vehicle speeds on Jakarta’s streets.
Jakarta Transportation Agency head Syafrin Liputo said a study on the six-month implementation of the odd-even traffic policy showed that 72 percent of vehicles on the affected roads were motorcycles.
“No wonder air pollution in Jakarta rose significantly due to motor vehicles,” Syafrin said in a forum group discussion on Thursday.
He said pollutants coming from motor vehicles in the city had increased to around 75 percent at the moment, up from the previous record of around 70 percent.
“So right now for the upcoming odd-even policy, we are surely expecting that the restrictions should be able to reduce pollutants from vehicles,” he said.
Meanwhile, Anies acknowledged that he needed to further explore the details of the upcoming odd-even policy such as the possibility of including motorcycle restrictions.
“But one thing that is certain, as applied for both car and motorcycle users, is that if you are using an electric vehicle, you will not be affected by this policy,” Anies said.
Anies had previously been reluctant to extend the policy after the Asian Games, claiming that the sales of used cars in Jakarta had increased almost 20 percent since the odd-even license plate policy was implemented. He also said last year that the policy was only a transition phase before the city fully enforced the ERP scheme.
But he eventually agreed to extend it as the city had not made progress in the procurement process for the ERP.
Besides upgrading the odd-even policy, under the new instruction, the city administration will also restrict the operation of vehicles aged over 10 years old, implement the ERP, improve integration of public transportation and tighten private vehicle emission tests.
Moreover, the administration will also expand pedestrian walkways, monitor emissions from electricity generation, optimize the greening of public facilities and enforce the use of renewable energy. (syk)
