Alleviation
of Jakarta’s traffic congestion in limbo
Achmad Izzul Waro ; A transport advisor
at German International Cooperation (GIZ), A member of Jakarta Transportation
Council
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JAKARTA
POST, 05 April 2014
The
traffic congestion plaguing Jakarta is deteriorating so much that Vice
President Boediono has warned Governor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo about failing to
implement programs to ease the gridlock that are part of the city’s
responsibility.
The
assessment was based on Jakarta’s achievements in implementing the 17 Steps
to Overcome Congestion plan, issued by the Vice President in 2010. One
program in which the Jakarta government performed below expectations was in
using retribution as a tool to control the traffic, more popularly known as
electronic road pricing (ERP).
Under
Government Regulation (PP) No. 97/2012, there are several steps that must be
taken by the Jakarta administration to immediately adopt the road-charge
concept. First, the city should immediately determine which roads are in
compliance with the necessary criteria, namely those with the presence of two
or more lanes in each direction, as well as road density (traffic volume
divided by the road capacity) higher than 0.9 and an average trip speed of no
more than 10 kilometers per hour.
Second,
a mass transit system with sufficient levels of service must be in place on
the roads where the ERP will be applied. Regarding the existence of the
Transjakarta busway, the benchmark of services that should be reached is
based on Transportation Ministry Regulation No. 10/2012 on minimum service
standards (SPM) for road-based mass transit systems.
Furthermore,
the city administration has to propose roads that could be subject to ERP to
the central government, through the Transportation Ministry. The ministry
then has 60 working days to gauge whether the roads are in accordance with
the criteria. The minister should respond after consulting with the forum of
traffic and road transport, as regulated by PP No. 38/2011.
On the
other hand, PP No. 97/2012 stipulates that roads where ERP will be
implemented must be stated in a regional ordinance. It would therefore
require the Jakarta administration to revise Bylaw No. 12/ 2003 on road
traffic and transport as soon as possible.
Implementation
of ERP as a replacement for the 20-year-old traffic restriction policy
popularly known as 3-in-1 is actually the concept of the internalization of
transport externalities, where every road user that contributes to congestion
must pay an amount of money that is used to subsidize public transport
riders.
Consequently,
the city administration should ensure better services for users of roads with
a road-density less than 0.7. In other words, the financial losses suffered
by road users due to congestion would be moved into the official retribution
for smoother traffic flow, so ideologically there would be no additional
burden on road users.
In order
to effectively achieve better services in terms of road density, the
administration should set the ERP rate quite high, considering the car
owners’ ability to pay. The initial assumption is that a car driver spends at
least Rp 40,000 (US$3.53) to pay for two hired passengers to pass the restricted
roads, and therefore the ERP rate cannot be set below that amount.
In fact,
with the advancement of technology that exists today, the administration
could soon implement ERP rates that can be adjusted according to fluctuating
levels of congestion and road-density ratio. However, that would require
cutting-edge information technology systems to ensure transparency so as not
to arouse suspicion among drivers.
Another
thing that should be taken into account is that every cent that goes to the
ERP areas must be used to cover the operational costs of the system itself,
while the rest should be allotted to the improvement of traffic services and
public transport. If it works well, there would be a huge amount of funds
that Transjakarta could use to invest in its service quality in accordance
with the minimum standard, in which every passenger should be able to take a
comfortable bus within 7 minutes.
In order
to keep ERP implementation accountable, we need an independent overseeing
agency that has competence, commitment and integrity. Therefore, the governor
must empower the Transportation Council in order to open up the opportunity
for the public to participate in this role of oversight.
By
implementing ERP, car users would be satisfied as the roads would become
smooth, while public transport users would also be happy as the quality of
their services would be assured. Furthermore, air pollution could be
significantly diminished and emission reduction targets — 26 percent for the
unilateral scenario or 41 percent if supported by international assistance,
according Presidential Regulation No. 61/2011 — could be achieved by 2020.
Finally,
ERP would accelerate the movement of people and goods as well as economic
activities within the capital city. Jakarta would transform into a livable
city and a center of global business. ●
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