TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) faction member and chairman of Jakarta Legislative Council (DPRD) Commission B overseeing economic affairs, Ismail, objected to the city government’s plan to implement electronic road pricing (ERP).
“As far as I know, since the last faction meeting, we agreed to refuse [the ERP]. The situation and conditions [for implementing it] are not yet possible. That’s the main reason,” Ismail said in his office, Wednesday, January 25, 2023.
He mentioned that Jakarta provincial government has many crucial things to do before implementing ERP. “The milestone of ERP is quite long, from 2007 or 2017, I forgot. It was rolling from governor to governor and council members have changed, and that has not completely finished yet. That means there is a big question mark,” Ismail emphasized.
He admitted that his party is looking into the root cause of the issue. “That’s what we want to explore viewed from the current actual conditions. It can be said that it’s a big homework,” he added.
According to Ismail, there are many essential things that need to be criticized from the impact of economic actors, who are mostly in the lower middle class as they are highly dependent on private vehicles, especially motorbikes. “That’s our crucial point,” he said.
Apart from the economy, another crucial thing is the potential shift for congestion points. “[If ERP is enacted,] there will be 25 paid roads, it is impossible for people to pass the roads because it is impossible to pay more costs,” said the PKS politician.
Ismail assessed that this could happen due to insufficient public transportation. “Ideally, people really switch from using private vehicles to public transport,” he said.
Therefore, Ismail suggested Jakarta provincial government improve public transportation, in terms of service, the number of vehicles, and security, before implementing an ERP policy considering those are vital issues in mobility.
MUTIA YUANTISYA
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