Odd-Even Vehicle Restriction: Half-Hearted Program

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Air pollution blankets the Jakarta cityscape in early July (7/7/2019). According to AirVisual data, a website that provides daily online pollution data for major cities in the world, Jakarta at 2 p.m. on Thursday had very bad air quality as the Air Quality Index (AQI) value reached 160, putting it in the “unhealthy” category.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The restrictions of vehicles using an odd-even license plate system will not be able to solve Jakarta’s growing air pollution.

A researcher at the Institute of Transportation Studies, Deddy Herlambang, said the odd-even rule was not yet effective as it was applied only to certain parts of Jakarta, only in certain hours of the day and was not imposed on motorcycles.

As a result, there are still many ways to avoid the restriction, such as by shifting the time of departure or by using other cars with different license plates, or by using motorbikes.

"So, there is no guarantee the policy will reduce the number of vehicles and emissions," Deddy said in Jakarta on Thursday.

According to Deddy, ideally, in order to be able to reduce emissions, the policy should be implemented throughout the day and throughout Jakarta. In addition, the restriction should also be applied on motorbikes. Some cars already use the standard Euro 4 fuel engine and above, but no motorbikes have met the standard.

The head of the Jakarta Transportation Office, Syafrin Liputo, said that all the consequences from the expansion of the areas affected by the odd-even vehicle restriction had been anticipated. For motorbikes, the office will use a canalization system in which the motorbikes should use the leftmost lane of the road. “We will cooperate with the police; a motorbike will get a ticket if it violates the markers," he said.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Motorists and motorcyclists brave congestion on Jl. Pramuka, East Jakarta, on Thursday (8/8/2019). Jl. Pramuka is one of 16 roads in Jakarta on which the odd-even policy will be applied. The regulation is intended to reduce congestion.

The canalization system is used to ensure that the drivers of the motorbikes will keep a constant speed and to prevent them from zigzagging. In the initial stage, the canalization will be applied on the roads affected by the odd-even policy.

The head of the subdirectorate of the law enforcement department of the traffic directorate of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police, adjunct senior commissioner M. Nasir, explained that the police officers who would be assigned to guard the roads affected by the even-odd policy would be recruited from the regional police offices, such as police stations on the regency and district levels.

The regional police offices will assign their personnel if there is a request for additional personnel from police stations on regency and district levels. The number of additional personnel will be adjusted according to the request.

The secretary-general of the drivers of application-based taxis (ADO), Wiwit Sudarsono, said the organization’s members in Jakarta strongly rejected the expansion of the areas affected the odd-even policy. ADO objected to Jakarta Gubernatorial Instruction No. 66/2019 related to the expansion of the odd-even vehicle restriction area in order to control air pollution.

According to the Gubernatorial Regulation No. 155/2018, the exception to the odd-even policy is only given to public transportation vehicles with yellow license plates. As cars used in ride-hailing services carry a black license plate, they should follow the odd-even rules.

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

A traffic cop stops a motorist who violated the odd-even license plate policy on Jl. Gatot Subroto at Semanggi in South Jakarta in early August (2/8/2019). The Jakarta administration, through the Jakarta Transportation Agency, is studying the possibility of applying the restriction on more roads to reduce congestion.

According to Wiwit, ADO rejected the policy because the drivers should have the freedom to make a living to support their families. Deddy said that the odd-even vehicle restriction was intended to reduce smog, but other sources of pollution were not regulated.

At present, residential and industrial areas spread throughout Jabodetabek without any control. Not all of the built-up areas have been equipped with public facilities, such as roads and public transportation networks, ranging from feeder transportation to mass transportation.

No wonder that now the number of public transportation users is decreasing and the number of the private vehicle users is increasing. Motorbikes, for example, have become the main choice because they are able to pass down small roads.

The director of the Interim Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), Faela Sufa, said it was still quite possible for the Jakarta administration to arrange the space using a centralized pattern, meaning integrated housing and transportation could be developed in the city center.

KOMPAS/TOTOK WIJAYANTO

Traffic cops stop motorcyclists on the fast lane of Jl. Pramuka in East Jakarta on Thursday (8/8/2019). Severe traffic jams forced the motorcyclists to violate the traffic regulation by entering the fast lane.

The centralized system can be used because there are still many areas and settlements located in downtown Jakarta. In addition, cities around the capital have low density because they are still dominated by one-story buildings. "These areas can be developed into apartments, which can accommodate more people and provide more affordable city transportation," he said. (WAD/IRE/DEA/BOW)