TRAFFIC CONGESTION IN JAKARTA AND EFFORTS TO OVERCOME

A. Background
Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia, is a large city inhabited by many residents. Population density is not mached by an adequate area, including also unbalance the needs of the road. There are an estimated 10 million people in the daytime and 9 million inhabitants in the evening. They are road users, including the additional workers from the suburbs. This has caused transport problems that led to the emergence of traffic jams.

According to the website Wikipedia:
Traffic congestion is a condition on the road networks that occurs as use increase, and is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increaseed vehicular queueing. The most common example is the physical use of roads by vehicles. When traffic demand is great enough that the interaction between vehicles slows the speed of the traffic stream, congestion is incurred. As demand approaches the capacity of the road (or of the intersections along the road), extreme traffic congestion sets in. When vehicles are fully stopped for periods of time, this is colloquially known as a traffic jam.

Congestion is a situation or circumtance in delays or even interruption of traffic caused by the large number of vehicles exceeds the capacity of the road.
The local government of Jakarta has been providing access to roadways and highways that serve the city, but the difference in the growth of total number of road cars with extremely lame (5-10% to 4-5%).

According to the data from the Department of Transportation Establishments, listed 46 areas with 100 points prone to traffic jams in Jakarta intersection. Definiton of cartilage loss is not stable flow, low speed and long lines. In addition to residents of Jakarta. Traffic jams are also exacerbated by commuters from surrounding cities such as Jakarta, Tangerang, Bogor, Depok and Bekasi who work in Jakarta. For the city, congestion can be seen in Sudirman St., Rasuna Said St., Thamrin St., Gatot Subroto St., and especially during the hours the office to go home.
As the anticipation, the local government provides PPD bus to serve the mobility residents in Jakarta, some of them are: the school bus and trans-Jakarta. There are also city buses run by private parties, such as Mayasari Bhakti, Kopaja, Ferris, and Metro Mini. These buses serve the routes that connect the terminals in the city, among others Pulogadung, Kampung Rambutan, Blok M, Kalideres, Grogol, Tanjung Priok, Lebak Bulus, and Kampung Melayu.
To serve the mobilization of the population between the environment, there is public transportation like the microbus and KWK, with routes from the neighborhood terminal to terminal. For short distance transportation, there are also motorcycles, bajaj, and bemo. Unlike other areas in Jakarta are using motorcycles, in the area of Tanjung Priok and Jakarta Kota, motorcycle taxi riders using bike Ontel. Transport rickshaws are still found in many areas such as the outskirts of Jakarta in Bekasi, Tangerang, and Depok.






B. PROBLEM
Congestion problem generally has a cause and effect that can be described in more detail into some of the principal inter-related.
1. Causes Traffic Congestion
Many things that cause traffic congestion in Jakarta, some of them are:
a) Public transport services is low, a quality vehicle that is safe and comfortable is low, the less quantity of the bus, the driver and conductor of service that are not friendly, the schedule is not on time, and parking arbitrarily.
Generally, compared to mass transit, passenger transport vehicle capacity far fewer, and there is no fixed schedule and route. Management of public transport are usually implemented based on the payroll deposit system so that the driver is less thought about the service. The increasing numbers of transport that are not feasible on the road is caused by simply providing transport route permits without an evaluation of management and systems that will run.
All of the things above increase the tendency of people to use private cars and motorcycles as a means of vehicles daily activities. So the number of vehicles exceeds the capacity of existing roads, and aggravate the congestion problem.

b) The community gives poor assessment of public transport and do not feel proud to use public transport. So they prefer to use private vehicles.

c) Many small traders who peddle wares on the streets and sidewalks will narrow roads. Road construction itself is not much developed. An increasing number of small retailers is the impact of society flows from rural to urban areas, there are still many who looked forward to achieving success in the capital.
d) People are become selfish road users and try to precede the other vehicles disorderly. This often results an accidents. Pedestrians often cross the road disorderly and improper. People lack the awareness of road traffic.

e) There is lack of control on granting of business licenses, so that people can open a business place anywhere and anytime. Supervision of the business license is also not effective and become “the land”of bribery and extortion by unscrupulous officials.


f) Traffic Light Control System that is not effective, generally red light longer than green light. The red light can burn 100 to 120 seconds while the green light only 10 to 20 seconds, so that only a few vehicles that can pass. This can cause a very long queue of vehicles. There are so many intersections that have no traffic light settings. This has led to traffic chaos and increase the emotion of each road users.

g) Lack of road signs and road markings, so that people tend to park his vehicle in a place that is not supposed to. The existence of the places, which functions initially as a public road, used by certain groups as illegal parking, paid illegally. This can close the flow path with the narrowness of the road that can be passed. Inconvenience felt by other road users.

h) The supporting infrastructure such as roads that are not complete, absence of good irrigation canal, causing damage to roads and flooding and stagnant water. The road will be difficult to pass and this will slow the flow of traffic.

i) Low awareness of traffic is caused by public ignorance of traffic rules that exist. To get a driver's license, the public generally must have graduated from the selection carried by traffic police department. There are taught traffic rules, if then permits given away by not following the actual mechanism, road users certainly will not have good traffic awareness. Usually the users will underestimate and do not care about the rules.

j) Construction of highways, flyovers, roads and excavation projects in some places traveled, causing disruption of the rate of other vehicles passing nearby. Number of large vehicles transporting materials, building materials and heavy equipment, or just turn things around, making other vehicles have to wait too long and causing long queues. The cause of this unusual traffic jams usually can be avoided with good planning of road construction.


2. Due to Traffic Congestion
Traffic congestion resulting in losses in various fields for all parties.
According to a survey conducted annually by the State Ministry of Development Planning, losses in the energy sector reached Rp 7 trillion. According to an university’s research, based on 2005 data, losses in the energy sector reached Rp 5.57 trillion, and in the health sector reached Rp 1.7 trillion.
The following are the losses that will occur in the presence of traffic congestion: (the assumptions that there can vary, depending on the needs of day-to-day)


a) Losses in the Energy Field
Energy loss is referred to here is the loss of wasteful use of fuel oil and losses on the cost of fuel subsidies borne by the state. Vehicles that stuck in traffic jams will use fuel consumption greater than if the vehicle continues to run. This will increase the ratio of fuel use. For example, 1L of fuel could be used to cover a distance of 15 km in a state run, then in 1L occlusion can only travel 10 Km. The difference that has resulted in waste, and increase fuel consumption. Value issued by the government for the subsidized fuel is also wasted.

b) Losses in the Field of Economics
In general, people are traveling out of the house with a vehicle for various activities, including producing goods, selling goods, deliver the goods or buy goods. With the congestion, the activities that generate the money will be delayed and even canceled. People's income will be reduced with no smooth flow of goods distribution. Communities will find it hard to meet their needs. Prices of goods will rise with the increasing cost of distribution of goods. Other economic loss is damage that will occur in a very long queue of vehicles on the road, which will increase the cost of vehicle maintenance.

c) Losses in the Health Sector
Traffic jams lead to many air pollutants that are harmful to health. Also psychologically, the riders will easily get angry, complain, quick offense and selfish. It shows the problem of mild depression. This adds to the cost of growing out to maintain and treat health problems that arise.

d) Losses in the Field of Politics
With increasing severity of congestion that occurs will burden the state budget which also reduces the budget for the welfare of the community. Communities may lose confidence in the government. Leaders who are unable to resolve this matter will be sued by the community and most likely will not be elected at the next election.

e) Productivity Loss of Community
Will a decline in community activities, which then weakens the competitiveness of human resources quality. People will think postpone everything and does not appreciate the time. Congestion experienced in traveling is something physically exhausting and mind, leading to reduced power of concentration. If stuck in traffic, they will tend to entertain themselves by listening to the music or using them with redundant telecommunications device.

f) Loss Time
When stuck in traffic, travel time will increase. If we assume that travel time that we use to reach the destination place only need 15 minutes, with the jam, it would take 30 minutes or more. If we counting our day working along the week or mounth, this is a valuable time. The time should be use to do other activity that increase our productivity. Alternatively, society may be use that time gathering with family or friends too. Difference of time that happens would be wasted in vain and that planned goals can be delayed or canceled.


C. Efforts to Overcome Congestion Problem
Today, congestion is no longer the only local government affairs, but also has become a central government affairs. Handling involves cross-ministry and the governor who must coordinate with each other.
As a form of involvement of the central government, Vice President Boediono already issued instructions in the form of 17 steps in addressing traffic congestion in Jakarta which is predicted to occur in 2012. He has also been appointed Chairman of the Presidential Working Unit of Supervision and Control as coordinator and regulatory for implementation of 17 step.

The 17 steps are:
1) Adopt Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system.
2) Line busway remains must be sterilized, especially in the four lines that were previously sterilized by the administrator.
3) Reviewing the administration and enforcement policies related to parking firm, primarily for the vehicles that parking on the shoulder of the road close to the busway lane.
4) Improve road facilities, the government of Jakarta has implemented multiyears development contract for the road.
5) The busway will be added again and the two lines will start operating this year and next year will add two more lines.
6) Having serious discussions with related parties about the availability and stability of fuel prices

7) The government requested administrative restructuring in the use of a small bus transportation which is inefficient.
8) Optimizing the use of trains in Jakarta by build the railroad, improve service, and improve the railway for the solid lane line.
9) Police got the assignment to curb illegal transport to reduce pressure at the points where they waited for passengers.
10) Accelerating the development of Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) which has begun construction this year to track Lebak Bulus-Hotel Indonesia.
11) Establishment of transport authorities in Jakarta.
12) To support the transportation authority, integrated transport master plan will be revised .
13) Speed the railway project double-double track, especially in the direction of Cikarang.
14) Accelerating the circumference of the Railway projects that will be integrated with mass transit system in Jakarta.
15) Add six additional toll motorway flyover.
16) For the medium to long term central government will develop policies to limit the use of
motor vehicles.
17) To support the use of trains, the land for park and ride (parking area near the railway station) near the railway station will be prepared so that land could increase the number of rail users.
(Source: Tempo Interactive, Jakarta)
The local government of DKI Jakarta alone, the transportation department said it would run establishments three strategies to cope with traffic congestion, some of them are:
First, the Pull strategy, namely strategy to attract people to get out from the use of personal vehicles. The local government plans to improve and enhance public transportation service, so people willing to switch from private cars to public transport use. Therefore, public transport will be made convenient and timely for those willing to switch.

Second, the Push Strategy, which initiated the people to come out of the use of personal vehicles. Local governments will implement restrictions on the use of private vehicles with the implementation of ERP systems and 3 in 1.It will then run the ERP application to support the 3 in 1 who had already been there.
Third, increase the road space, for large users capacity need more road capacity. This is done by straightening the side of the street traders who forbidden and widen or add a new road. In addition, the government plans to improve public transport non busway management, adopting a revenue driver Transjakarta system based on salary, not a deposit. This will improve the public transport service.







D. Conclusion
Congestion is a problem commonly faced by large cities. Indeed, traffic congestion is unavoidable, but instead can not be minimized.
There are many causes of traffic congestion, not only because the ratio of road infrastructure development with the added vehicle that is not balanced. Unconsciousness and indiscipline of road users and motorists in road traffic may also lead to traffic congestion problems that occur.
The chaotic traffic caused huge losses for all parties. This loss can be viewed in social, economic, health, and political.
Each party has thought of every way and work hard to overcome the problem of traffic congestion. Special local government in particular the Government's capital Jakarta is already working on ways to solve congestion problems that occur.
As a first step, has implemented policies such as promoting school schedules, build public transportation facilities such as the busway. And further policy plan that will be executed form of transfer of motorcycles to a special track, advance the schedule for work of local government employees, and the rapid development of the underground railroad. And again, has been attempted illegal parking enforcement and control for the rider.