TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
People still reluctant to use public transportation: BPTJ
Greater Jakarta Transportation Body head Bambang Prihartono said people are still reluctant to take the bus or train to work.
Change Size
Vehicles pass Jl. Salemba Raya in Central Jakarta on Aug. 7. The road is among the new routes added to the odd-even license plate policy to reduce air pollution and alleviate congestion. (Antara/Indrianto Eko Suwarso)
E
fforts by both the city administration and the central government to alleviate chronic traffic congestion in Jakarta by improving public transportation are blunted by public inertia, as many commuters apparently stick with their old habits of using private vehicles.
Greater Jakarta Transportation Body (BPTJ) head Bambang Prihartono said people were reluctant to take the bus or train for their daily commute.
He cited the odd-even license plate traffic policy that restricts access to certain thoroughfares of the capital depending on a car’s license plate number and the date had not really encouraged residents to turn to public transportation.
“Based on our observation, many people still opt to use motorcycles instead of switching to buses or trains and people still use cars but find alternative routes. That’s not what we want,” Bambang said in a discussion on Thursday.
Initially applied to a number of major roads, such as Jl. Sudirman, Jl. MH Thamrin, Jl. Panglima Polim, Jl. HR Rasuna Said and Jl. Gatot Subroto, the policy has since been expanded to several toll roads, namely Jakarta-Cikampek, Jakarta-Tangerang and Jagorawi in a bid to discourage car use.
He admitted that the odd-even traffic policy did have some effect though.
On the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road that connects Bekasi and Jakarta, the traffic volume has decreased by 35 percent. The number of private vehicles entering the toll road through the West Bekasi gate also decreased by 30 percent, increasing the traffic speed by 40 percent.
