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Jakarta Governor discusses ways to curb private vehicle use

On July 26 Governor Fauzi Bowo said city administrators were considering options to reduce private vehicle use that would restrict cars and motorcycles from entering congestion-prone areas during rush hour. Another idea is the implementation of an electronic road-pricing plan that would require drivers to pay to use particular roads.

 

New car registration in the first six months of the year was up by 20,000 from 2009, according to a recent report in the Jakarta Globe. Motorcycle sales are also rising, which is forcing city officials to think about ways to limit motorcycle traffic.

 

Although Bowo and other city administrators often speak about the need for a large-scale transportation system, funding required to support the city’s ambitious transportation blueprint has trickled in. The Mass Rapid Transit rail system has only received enough money to build and link a small portion in South Jakarta, Bowo recently told reporters.

 

He said negotiations are underway to get an additional round of financing from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, which provided an initial chunk of money for the MRT scheme. But since precise costs have yet to be discussed, few investors are willing to make hard commitments.

 

Another plan being pushed by Bowo that would end in the construction of several new elevated roads has met severe controversy from groups that say building more roads will only produce more traffic. In a recent Jakarta Post report Bowo responded to such criticism by saying, “Our capacity to expand the roads in Jakarta is less than one percent, while traffic in Jakarta grows between nine to 11 percent [per year], how can we cope with that?”

 

Source: www.thejakartaglobe.com