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Anies dismantles Thamrin parking facility. Motorists demand better solution for commute.
Commuters said public transportation was not good enough to ease their daily commute.
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Passengers board a Transjakarta electric bus at the National Monument in Central Jakarta on June 8. (JP/eyc)
W
hen the Jakarta administration said it would establish more park and ride facilities on the outskirts of Jakarta, it decided to close down one located downtown.
Banners giving notice of the impending closure have been placed on the fence of the 8,710 square-meter parking lot on Jl. MH Thamrin.
The park and ride facility is only open on weekdays with a daily rate of Rp 5,000 (US 35 cents), Rp 2,000, and Rp 1,000 per car, motorbike and bicycle, respectively. The facility has been in operation since April 2017.
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said the plan aimed to encourage motorists to switch to public transportation. The area will be transformed into a dining spot to also benefit small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Anies explained the decision was based on the fact that parking facility rates along Jl. MH Thamrin, which is among main roads in the city, were “too low”.
“[If the parking rates are low] who will take public transportation? Everyone will use their own [vehicle]. That's very rational,” he told reporters recently.
The governor went on to say that a higher parking rate would soon follow and that the city was preparing the policy.
