The Jakarta administration plans to increase parking fees by up to 10 percent as part of an attempt to discourage residents from using their private vehicles when commuting in the capital.
According to Jakarta Provincial Government Secretary Saefullah, the growth of private vehicles in Jakarta is becoming increasingly unstoppable. A study showed that one out of four Jakartans owns a car and one out of every two owns a motorcycle.
So it is not surprising that Jakarta’s major roads, especially during rush hours, could be mistaken for parking lots, thus the city makes very little income from actual parking.
Currently, most parking schemes in Jakarta charge motorcycles Rp2,000 and cars Rp5,000 per hour. Saefullah continued that parking rates would increase by 10 percent this October.
“If they have to pay up to Rp50,000, people will think twice about using their vehicles and taking public transportation instead,” said Saefullah.
In addition, the head of the Jakarta Department of Tax and Levy (BPRD) Edi Sumantri said that there were also plans to change the 2010 regulation on motor vehicle taxes to impose 20% rates on vehicle purchases instead of the current 10%.
The lesser amount of private vehicles on Jakarta’s road means that less traffic and less private vehicles using the Transjakarta’s lanes. When the rule is implemented effectively, people will opt for public transportation as they only need to wait for a few minutes to hop on the bus and reach their destination faster.
We hope that with the increased parking tariff, there will be less traffic and more organized parking system. In addition, we also hope that government will discipline and regulate the thugs (preman) who often ask for more parking tariff at public spaces like TMII, Gelora Bung Karno, or JIEXPO Kemayoran.
