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Experts question exemption of motorcycles in traffic policy
The Jakarta administration’s final expansion of the odd-even traffic policy — which aims to curb worsening air pollution and reduce traffic congestion in the capital — exempts motorcycles
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span>The Jakarta administration’s final expansion of the odd-even traffic policy — which aims to curb worsening air pollution and reduce traffic congestion in the capital — exempts motorcycles.
Experts are now questioning the effectiveness of the policy, as the nation’s capital has seen a surge of motorcycles on its streets in the past years.
Djoko Setijowarno from the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI) questioned the decision of Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan to exempt motorcycles, after mulling the inclusion of two-wheeled vehicles in the policy. Djoko argued that motorcycles should also be subject to limited mobility, as they consisted the majority of vehicles in the capital.
He cited data from the Greater Jakarta Transportation Agency (BPTJ) that 24,89 million motorcycles were registered and made up 75 percent of all road vehicles in Greater Jakarta. This was followed by private cars at 23 percent and the remaining 2 percent was public transportation.
“It seems like limiting the mobility of motorcycles has yet to become a priority. Whereas its volume is tremendous and has caused problems for the city,” Djoko said on Friday in a written statement to The Jakarta Post. He cited air pollution from motorcycle emissions, congestion and increasing traffic incidents as among the problems.
Expanding the odd-even policy to cover additional routes was not an effective way to reach the goal, he said, and that adequate policy on limiting motorcycles would encourage people to shift from private to public transportation.
Djoko noted that the routes for angkot (public minivan) designated under the Jak Lingko program were in areas where the majority of residents traveled using motorcycles. Not many residents would want to switch to angkot if motorcycles were not restricted, he said.
“Limiting the mobility of motorcycles does not violate human rights. Their mobility should be limited, as its incredibly large [volume] has caused negative impacts,” Djoko stressed.
He urged the Jakarta administration and central government to provide proper public transportation to serve “micro routes” that reached residential areas throughout Greater Jakarta.
Deddy Herlambang from the Institute for Transportation Studies (Instra) said the odd-even policy should treat motorcyclists and motorists the same, as the two transportation modes both fell under the 2009 Traffic and Land Transportation Law.
“If we want to uphold fairness for road users, the policy should apply to any type of vehicle. Especially if the [objective] is to reduce air pollution,” Deddy said.
He suggested that the city administration thoroughly study the impacts of the policy on motorcycles, in particular whether it would have major socioeconomic impacts for motorcyclists, since the policy only applied in the morning and the evening.
Jakarta is to start on Monday its trial of the expanded odd-even traffic policy, which covers 25 roads. The trial runs until Sept. 6, and the policy is set to come into effect on Sept. 9.
Jakarta Transportation Agency head Syafrin Liputo concurred that motorcycles made up a large proportion of road vehicles, but argued that the agency’s study showed they did not contribute significantly to traffic congestion.
“Motorcyclists are disorderly in using the road lanes only at certain times,” he said.
In order to manage motorcycles, the agency planned to implement a canalized traffic system that directed motorcyclists to the designated left lane to ensure safety, security and comfort for road users.
“We will cooperate with the police to lawfully enforce [this system], should we find [marked lane] violations. Violators will automatically be ticketed,” added Syafrin.
The 2009 Traffic and Land Transportation Law stipulates that road users must drive in the left lane except to pass other vehicles.
The law also stipulates that “motorcycles or motorized vehicles traveling at lower speeds, freight vehicles and nonmotorized vehicles should use the left lane”.
Amid the criticisms, Anies was upbeat that the expanded coverage of the odd-even policy would contribute to reducing air pollution in Jakarta, as was proven during the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Asian Games.
The Jakarta administration imposed a 15-hour odd-even traffic policy during the multinational sporting event in a bid to ensure smoother traffic for the event.
“If we look at the Asian Games, air pollution was a little lower. But we are still in the trial run now, so let’s see how much the effect is,” the Jakarta governor said.
