As some of you may know, there are whole sections of Jakarta (including the area I live in) virtually blockaded from the outside world due to ungodly traffic congestion, busway construction and all the other "normal" lack-of-discipline issues.

We hosted a birthday party at our house over the weekend and the folks that were coming in from outside our area were warned about the traffic situation. Despite the warning, they still arrived hours late, totally exasperated, frustrated and stressed.

This article in the JP provides some hope that others are similarly frustrated, but at this point I don't see what can be done in terms of a solution to alleviate this utter debacle. It really requires total commitment and political will and, of course, money, which our city kleptocrats just don't like to part with.

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New call center taking traffic complaints

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

In response to the city's worsening traffic congestion, the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute has opened a call center to receive complaints.

Their lawyer, Gatot, said Sunday he had received at least 50 complaints via e-mail, over the telephone and by fax.

"We will hold a meeting Monday with these complainants to discuss the city's perennial traffic problem," he said.

Those who wish to complain about traffic congestion in the capital can call 3145518, fax 3912377, or send an e-mail to lbhjkt@indosat.net.id or macet_jakarta@yahoo.com.

The city's traffic congestion has worsened since the development of new busway corridors...

A resident of Depok, who commutes through Pondok Indah, filed a complaint to the Jakarta Police last week after he was forced to spend almost four hours on the road.
...

"We still don't know whether we will file a (class action) lawsuit or just offer recommendations to the administration and the police," he said.

The city administration, Gatot said, is supposed to have clear road development plans, while the police should enforce the traffic law.

"Many underpass and overpass construction works have been left unfinished, while most public bus and minivan drivers stop wherever they please.

Most of the people who complained to the institute do not oppose the busway program, he said, in fact, they are happy to support it as long as the TransJakarta management implements it properly.

For those of you that didn't vote for me to be the new Governor, these were my campaign pledges on the traffic congestion issue:

TRAFFIC:
-- Ban all SUVs on DKI roads from 6am to Midnight

-- Give tax amnesty for next 5 years to people that buy/drive subcompacts and dealers that sell/import them.

-- Quadruple the tax on families with more than one car.

-- No trucks (with more than 4 wheels) on any road in DKI from 6am to Midnight

-- No old buses allowed on streets where there are Busway routes

-- No new Busway routes

-- accelerate subway/monorail development (must be completed within 1 year or contractor pays $1mn/day

-- No more toll booths (tack on an extra tax for car owners, like they do in California and other places with smart people)

-- Cut the Angkot/micromini/regular buses down by 75% and teach the drivers the rules of the road. If they are reported for breaking a rule - license suspended for 5 years.

-- No more private motorcycles on DKI roads from 6am to midnight (fully registered/licensed Ojeks are okay, and company couriers are okay)

-- Clear the streets of roadside vendors/illegal parkers. Violators will be put in prison for a month without trial.

-- Make nice covered bicycle lanes and pedestrian walkways (to keep the rain and sun off), so people can commute by bike and on foot like every other major metropolis in the world.

-- Build humongous parking garages underground, accommodating 90% of parking spaces required and employing thousands of workers.

-- Improve/revamp/refurbish/expand network of above-ground trains for commuters to enjoy. (Also, there needs to more discipline from the train operators, not overselling tickets, keeping it clean and comfortable, etc...)

-- All these developments will done by responsible private, foreign companies with the use of Indonesian laborers at a fixed labor price OF $3 per day. There will be competitive, open bids and the developers will get at least a 51% financial stake in each project, e.g. parking garage, subway (underground trains).

My problem solving campaign pledge:

---Let off a 1000 megaton nuclear device over Monas.

I'd willingly sacrifice myself for the greater good.

Alternatively, have someone train Piss's bladder, a far more difficult task but at least there would be 7 minutes extra free drink before venturing out into the chaos.

why jakarta traffic hell?

1. lots of cars with no registration/expired but still running on the road.
2. no drive licence but still driving anyway!
3. corrupt polisi! i drove in jakarta once and made a very little mistake, changed line turning to semangi (jl.sudirman). i didn't see double yellow/white line so i thougt it was ok to change line. a cop pulled me over and asked my DL(international DL) and the car "surat-surat". he didn't accept my DL! and said give him a Rp100.000 or he will take my car (huh?)

i'm an indo and i dont have indo drive licence, well i had the expired one. so every time i go back to indo, i used intl dl to drive. in bali no problem but in jkt the police got me headache.

as far as police "fines" on the spot go I don't see that as a problem. If you were in the USA you are probably looking at points of the license and a fine bigger than $10

But the police do need to start enforcing the traffic laws as well as shooting bus drivers who think its okay to drive in the middle of two lanes and stop where the hell they like

Education is the key. Most people who drive here are used to the mania and drive accordingly.

Make every driver resit a test, start fining on the spot, impound non registered vehicles and anyone who disagrees, then they will be the guests of honour at the weekly executions at the Plaza Indonesia round about for traffic offenders.

Minimum 100 bus drivers and 200 taxi drivers per week.

That should raise the driving standards a notch or two!

I quite enjoy rubber necking at this kind of thing though:

indeed. always begs the question: "now how the fuck did they manage to do that?!".

...or this....

A VERY good Letter to the Editor of JP:

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China's road traffic

Prophet Muhammad once advised Muslims to seek knowledge even as far away as China, which is indeed a very long way from the Arab lands.

This message remains relevant to us, particularly in connection with law enforcement and public service. Traffic order, for instance, has to do with law enforcement.

The road traffic in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong, China, where I once stayed for a while, is in good order and quite convenient. With a population of 12-14 million, it has a new subway system (2001) besides taxis and city buses.

There are terminals, bus shelters, clear road marks and traffic signs. No drivers dare to stop on roadsides with continuous yellow lines, unless they are ready for tough punishment (driver's license revocation and a fine of a significant amount).

No buses and minivans are allowed to halt in undesignated places, even improper honking is liable to a fine.

It means that neat road traffic in China is due to the law abiding attitude of the local citizens and breaching the law is what they fear most.

Therefore, we need to learn from the Chinese experience in overcoming traffic congestion. The lack of discipline among our public car drivers has considerably contributed to the muddled traffic in Jakarta.

SAHAT SITORUS
Jakarta

The writer has not mentioned that the reason the penalties are so severe is that the Chinese are even worse drivers than Indonesians (Yes, it is possible)

On another note, Chinese Bog Roll is much better than Indonesian equivalents.

Yeah... we need to change the governor.

we need to change people's transport habits! cars are an abomination!

I love it when year old post's are rejuvinated!

A little bit ambitious for my liking...

Think of it as our vice when our 1st wife won't let us "go the distance" with what the Koran grants to us in the wife department.........

I always thought that was a great plan. One wife for cooking, one for organising your day, one for cultural chats, one for wanton fuckery, one for child-rearing, one for washing clothes and one for dusting the rooms.

You do seem to be 3 over the limit.........

I thought it was 7. You mean The Prisoner got his cock cut for only four wives?!

Eh? Did I see my name with a reference to cock-cutting?

The Prisoner loves a good twang on the old banjo string.

RIP Mitch Mitchell from the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Dead on the hotel room floor yesterday. Tart probably fled the scene.