The Greater Jakarta Transportation Agency (BPTJ) has teamed up with Google to provide a special feature on Google Maps, which helps drivers avoid roads restricted to them by the city’s odd-even traffic policy.
The new feature will offer alternative routes to get to a destination by avoiding streets on which only cars with odd-numbered license plates are allowed to use on odd dates and those even-numbered on even dates.
BPTJ head Bambang Prihartono said the body had asked Google to design the feature to support the policy.
“The support has materialised with Google updating its Google Maps application to create a feature showing alternative routes for drivers,” Bambang said on Thursday.
The city has expanded the traffic policy to ease traffic ahead of and during the Asian Games, which will start on August 18.
While previously the policy was only implemented on Jl. Sudirman and Jl. MH Thamrin, the policy is now on 10 major roads from 6am to 9pm every day.
The affected roads are, among others, Jl. Benyamin Sueb, Jl. Ahmad Yani, Jl. DI Panjaitan, Jl. S Parman, Jl. Rasuna Said, Jl. MT Haryono and Jl. Metro Pondok Indah.
The government and the city administration have decided to expand the traffic policy in a bid to ensure that athletes competing in the Asian Games can arrive at the venues on time.
The Olympic Council of Asia has stipulated that the traveling time of athletes between venues should not exceed 34 minutes.
Source: Jakarta Post