From 2012 to 2016, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), there were on average 6,600 traffic accidents every year in the capital. Roughly 700 people died each year and thousands of others were injured.
s traffic violations continue to be commonplace on Jakarta’s streets, transportation experts argue that stricter regulations and better road infrastructure are what is needed to improve traffic behavior and ensure road safety.
“Transportation is about civilization. The way to create a civilized society is through, among many other things, policies that are obeyed by the people,” Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI) chairman Agus Taufik Mulyono said in a discussion on Thursday held to commemorate World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims observed every Nov. 17.
“When road users are used to following traffic rules and respecting each other, and at the same time there are infrastructure improvements that better ensure everyone’s safety, we can definitely reduce the risk of traffic accidents,” he added.
From 2012 to 2016, according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS), there were on average 6,600 traffic accidents every year in the capital. Roughly 700 people died each year and thousands of others were injured.
Transportation associate from the Indonesia Institute for Transportation Development (ITDP) Aishah Imran echoed the sentiment, saying the challenges in managing traffic continued to escalate because any efforts made often rubbed up against the growing number of road users and technological advances that support urban commuting.
“The city must be flexible to accommodate technological advances in regard to public vehicles. Recently we’ve seen the rising trend of micro mobility vehicles, such as electric scooters, hoverboards or electric unicycles,” Aishah said.
She said the government should be able to come up with solutions that took the side of the public interest.
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