The Jakarta Transportation Agency says that parking fees will increase to the maximum point of motorists' ability to pay in a bid to make them shift to public transportation.



Syaefudin Zuhri, manager of the agency's parking unit, said his unit had compiled a study to determine what motorists were willing and able to pay for parking spots. The study showed that Jakarta motorcyclists' were willing to pay Rp 980 (10 US cents) for a parking spot with Rp 1,900 for car drivers.



However, the data also revealed that motorcyclists were actually able to pay Rp 3,100 for parking and car drivers could pay up to Rp 9,800.



'We want to increase the fees to a level they [motorists] are no longer willing to pay and shift them to public transportation,' Syaefudin said on Wednesday.



He was sure that the unpopular decision would result in massive public objections, but he was optimistic it could be done.



'We will keep them informed and be as transparent as possible, including by using parking meters,' he said. 'In that way, the number of vehicles can be reduced while city income increases.'



As per Gubernatorial Regulation No.120/2012, parking fees for motorcycles range between Rp 1,000 and Rp 2,000 while they range from Rp 3,000 to Rp 5,000 for cars.



The Transportation Ministry's inspector general, Iskandar Abubakar, said that an increase in both on- and off-street parking fees was necessary to reduce the number of vehicles on the streets. 'If the increase is only on off-street spots, then motorists will move to on-street parking and vice versa,' he said. 'The question now is, can the administration take this bold move? Of course, as long as it is across the board.'



Iskandar added that the best solution was also to limit spaces. 'Parking fees should be way higher than the cost of using public transportation,' he said. He compared the situation in Jakarta to Japan, where around 80 percent of its citizens use public transportation as parking is so expensive. In Jakarta, he said, it was the other way around.



'But the city should also prepare the mass transportation,' he said.



Iskandar said zone-based pricing could be implemented. In this system, Jakarta would be divided according to traffic density. Parking in low-density areas would be lower than parking in the center of the city, where traffic is most dense.



The Jakarta Tax Office expects to collect Rp 250 billion in taxes on parking fees this year, an increase from last year's Rp 214 billion. The target last year was Rp 210 billion.



Off-street parking operators Secure Parking and ISS said they supported any moves by the city administration to reduce Jakarta's frustrating traffic congestion. They said, however, the decision would be down to building managements as owners would not increase fees until their neighbors also did so.



Agency head Udar Pristono said his team was carefully formulating the best policy and implementing regulations, as there were many stakeholders in the issue. 'We are formulating the regulations. We have to be careful, because it requires acceptance from all parties, including the police as well as the fee collectors who operate on the street,' Udar said.



He said the agency had also reprimanded building owners, who he said were indifferent to the situation around their premises.



'If they do not heed our warnings, we will make it difficult for them to extend their permits,' he said.



Udar also said that mass transportation would be ready for a massive shift, if the regulation was successful, with the city's procurement of 684 new Transjakarta buses and 800 medium-sized buses.

Your premium period will expire in 0 day(s) close x Subscribe to get unlimited access Get 50% off now