Odd-Even Traffic, Please Wait

KOMPAS/RADITYA HELABUMI

KRL train passengers leave the Tanah Abang Station, Central Jakarta, during work hours, Monday (3/8/2020). The Provincial Government of DKI Jakarta has again implemented a policy of odd-even vehicles on 25 roads to limit the movement of residents in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The case for the reimplementation of the odd-even license place traffic policy in Jakarta sounds reasonable but carries risks.

The policy may reduce the mobility of people, but on the other hand, people may switch to public transportation. After being scrapped during large-scale social restrictions (PSBB) in March, the odd-even traffic policy was reimplemented on 25 roads in the capital starting on Monday (3/8/2020).

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According to the head of the Jakarta Transportation Agency, Syafrin Liputo, the odd-even policy was implemented to limit people\'s mobility. To support this idea, he argued that limiting in-office activity during transitional PSBB had not been effective (Kompas, 3/8/2020). The volume of traffic had increased significantly as restrictions were gradually eased. This condition can be seen on the streets of Jakarta, where congestion abounds.

Companies have been asked to arrange schedules for their employees based on vehicle license plate numbers.

The Jakarta Transportation Agency hopes that by reimplementing the odd-even policy, the volume of traffic will drop and there will be less congestion in public places and less crowding. Companies have been asked to arrange schedules for their employees based on vehicle license plate numbers.

In reality, it\'s not that simple. People often need to leave the house, both for work and other needs. This is a worrying fact. University of Indonesia epidemiologist Tri Yunis Miko Wahyono said the implementation of the odd-even policy would make employees switch to public transportation and risk triggering more widespread transmission of COVID-19. The virus positivity rate reached 6.5 percent in the past week. This is the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases per the number of tests performed. The WHO set a standard positivity rate of under 5 percent.

One person said he would not dare take public transportation because he did not know the condition of other passengers. He objected to the reimplementation of the odd-even policy.

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

A number of residents who will ride the KRL when queuing to enter Bogor Station, Bogor City, Monday (20/7/2020).

Other people have chosen to ride bicycles or motorbikes to the office because it is very difficult to enforce health protocols on public transportation. In addition to that, there are other reasons to worry. At present, the MRT, Commuter Line and Transjakarta bus service cap occupancy at 30 to 50 percent of passenger capacity. If the odd-even policy is reimplemented, the number of passengers on public transportation may exceed 50 percent of capacity, making the implementation of health protocols difficult.

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We must learn to set the right policy according to real conditions. Jakarta is still in the red zone, and employees still have to go to the office. For the sake of COVID-19 safety, they have chosen to use private vehicles. We should stick with this first. The fact that Jakarta suffers from traffic congestion is an old issue. Jakarta’s traffic has not been smooth for a long time.

Delaying the reinstatement of the odd-even policy would indeed put people at risk of being trapped in traffic jams, but they will be safer from the virus than if they had to cram into public transportation. Let people choose to bear the risk of a traffic jam. As the pandemic continues and danger remains high, we should reduce risk first.