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Odd-even parking restrictions deter drivers on Central Jakarta’s busy roads
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A traffic policeman gives a ticket to a driver who violated the odd-even license plate traffic policy in Tomang, West Jakarta, on Sept. 9, 2019. (JP/Narabeto Korohama)
C
ar drivers have found it difficult to find parking spaces after the Jakarta administration implemented an odd-even parking system on Jl. Gajah Mada and Jl. Hayam Wuruk in Central Jakarta. The expansion of the odd-even policy to the two roads is part of an effort ease traffic congestion.
“It has been difficult to find parking spaces on the side of the road after the administration implemented the odd-even parking system, especially since the parking lots in front of the buildings on the road are not very spacious,” Yanto, a 35-year-old company driver said after parking his car on Jl. Gajah Mada last week.
The administration has enforced the odd-even parking policy on the two streets since Jan. 31 following the introduction of the odd-even driving policy on 25 roads across the city in September of last year. The new on-site parking regulation allows only cars with odd-numbered license plates to park on either side of the road on odd-numbered dates and only those with even-numbered license plates on even-numbered dates. The parking policy applies to only two roads, Jl. Hayam Wuruk and Jl. Gajah Mada, both in Central Jakarta, which also apply the odd-even license plate driving policy.
The parking restrictions are enforced from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday.
According to a 2014 regional government regulation (Perda) on Jakarta’s spatial plan, the area located around both roads is to be used for commercial purposes. It is home to shopping malls, hotels, restaurants and local businesses.
As the roads are in one of Jakarta’s business centers, significant activity takes place during the weekdays with lines of cars parked on the side of the road.
While it was hard for him to find a parking space, Yanto said he realized that the regulation was urgently needed to prevent traffic congestion from happening on both roads. He recalled a moment two weeks before when he saw three lines of parallel-parked cars protruding into Jl. Gajah Mada, causing a major traffic jam.
