TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia Effort for Environment executive director Ahmad Safrudin forecast that Jakarta's traffic will be 'stuck' or experiencing complete congestion in 2014. This will happen due to an uncontrollable vehicle population growth in Jakarta. "Jakarta's traffic will be stuck faster than previously predicted," he said in a press conference at Gedung Sarinah Central Jakarta, Tuesday, July 30, 2013.
Ahmad informed that congestion will happen even when only 15 percent of vehicles pour the roads. He could not imagine what will happen if all vehicles fill the roads.
The average speed of vehicles in the city will also decrease. Ahmad said that in 2008, vehicles were still able to run above 20 kilometers per hour, but in 2012 the speed plummeted to 16 kilometers per hour. "Eventually in 2014, all vehicles will be stuck in the traffic," he said.
A research conducted by Indonesia Effort for Environment revealed that in 2013, vehicle growth amounts to 1,600 to 2,400 units per day. From that amount, 16.5 percent consists of cars, while the rest of the pie consists of motorcycle, buses, and trucks. The number of Greater Jakarta vehicles operating in Jakarta reaches 38.7 million units, comprising of 26.1 million motorcycles, 5.3 million cars, 1.3 million buses, and 6.1 million trucks.
ANANDA TERESIA
