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Jakarta to issue regulation on e-scooters next month

Pedestrians only: A no-scooter sign has been installed at the entrance of a pedestrian bridge in Senayan, Jakarta

Vela Andapita (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Wed, November 20, 2019

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Jakarta to issue regulation on e-scooters next month

P

edestrians only: A no-scooter sign has been installed at the entrance of a pedestrian bridge in Senayan, Jakarta. The measure was taken to ensure pedestrian safety and to maintain the bridge’s condition.(JP/Dhoni Setiawan)

The Jakarta Transportation Agency will issue a regulation on micromobility by December amid the rising popularity of e-scooters in the capital. 

The agency’s traffic management head, Priyanto, said a draft of the policy was being finalized and would be issued in the form of a gubernatorial decree.  

“The point is that the city is always open to technological developments, including e-scooters,” Priyanto told the press on Monday.

“The gubernatorial decree will contain detailed rules on the use of e-scooters and other micromobility vehicles such as skateboards, inline skates and conventional scooters; it aims to ensure security, safety and public order,” he added.

Priyanto went on to say that the decree would refer to Law No. 22/2009 on road traffic.

The decree, according to him, would regulate the use of micromobility vehicles that could only be operated in bike lanes and within certain complexes. The modes of transportation would not be allowed on footbridges and must operate at a maximum speed of 20 kilometers per hour.

Adding to that, riders should also comply with safety rules, such as wearing helmets and not violating other traffic regulations.

Those who violate the rules could be fined up to Rp 500,000 (US$35).

He called on the private sector, in this case Grab Indonesia as the sole player in e-scooter rental services with GrabWheels, to work with the government to provide safe spaces for such vehicles and at the same time educate people on the safe use of e-scooters.

Until the regulation is officially in place, the city will continue to permit the use of e-scooters.

Two e-scooter riders died on Nov. 11 after being hit by a car outside Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) sports complex in Central Jakarta.

The two victims, Wisnu and Ammar, both 18-years-old, were riding on one scooter when a vehicle hit them from behind.

The driver of the car, identified as DH, has been detained and named a suspect by the Jakarta Police. The police charged him under Article 311 of Law 22/2009 on traffic, which carries a maximum sentence of 12 years in prison and a Rp 24 million fine.

To prevent such accidents from happening again, Grab Indonesia public relations head Tri Sukma Anreianno said the company was also revising its policy on e-scooter rentals.

He also said the company had strengthened supervision to ensure riders followed the rules.

Upon renting an e-scooter, riders are to be briefed on basic safety rules, which include only permitting single riders who are at least 18 years old.

“We will deploy two to three people to every footbridge near GBK to make sure no one uses scooters up there,” he said.

The Jakarta Bina Marga road agency said footbridges near GBK had sustained damage caused by e-scooters. The agency’s head, Hari Nugorho, said the wood panels on the footbridges had been designed to accommodate pedestrians and not scooters.

“We are also establishing a system that could automatically shut down the scooter’s engine if it went onto a footbridge,” Tri said.

Tri said there were 300 GrabWheels points in Greater Jakarta.

In response to recent events, Jakarta Transportation Agency head Syafrin Liputo said e-scooters should neither be ridden on sidewalks nor footbridges as they disturbed pedestrians.

Meanwhile, Pedestrian Coalition head Alfred Sitorus said that in the absence of a regulation on micromobility vehicles, companies offering them for rent should take full responsibility of any accidents and damages incurred.

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