Jakarta officials have introduced a rush-hour odd-even traffic control system on the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road, the main toll road leading into the city, in an effort to cut traffic by 25 percent.
More than 1.3 million people commute into Indonesia’s capital every day. In addition to cutting down the number of cars, officials aim to force commuters to use public transport by this move.
Only an estimated 20 percent of people in Jakarta use buses or trains.
The new rule means that on odd dates, only plate numbers ending in odd numbers are allowed to enter the toll road between 6am and 9am. On even dates, it is the same for vehicles with plates ending in even numbers.
Drivers who violate the rule are forced to turn back and encouraged to take one of the buses the government has prepared at a nearby location.
The odd-even rule is a policy that has been used inside the city with mixed results, where the government said traffic has reduced by 15 percent. However, Tito Karnavia, the national police chief, admits the policy is not a solution to Jakarta’s notorious traffic problem.
While the construction of Jakarta’s first subway, an elevated toll road and a monorail is causing serious traffic jams, the government promises that these will reduce as soon as these projects are finished.
Source: Al Jazeera News
Photo courtesy of Reuters