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Jakarta. The closure of Plaza Semanggi’s vehicle entrance along Jalan Gatot Subroto was meant to ease traffic congestion, but it ironically resulted in a massive traffic jam.

Hundreds of vehicles coming from Slipi in West Jakarta at around 10 a.m. on Friday moved at a slow crawl toward Semanggi.

Jakarta Police Traffic chief Sr. Comr. Condro Kirono said vehicles trying to enter Semanggi from the main road got stuck, while others were forced to take alternative routes.

He said many motorists may not have been aware that the Semanggi entrance was blocked.

“Those who did not know and wanted to enter [Plaza Semanggi from Jalan Gatot Subroto] were stuck,” Condro told the Jakarta Globe on Friday.

“Vehicles from Slipi heading toward Cawang [in East Jakarta] had to [drive past]. The old way is no longer acceptable,” he said.

However, Condro said traffic jams like this would not happen again once the public got used to the new traffic scheme.

“We are still trying to perfect the system in the area. Please do not worry about this. This traffic is temporary, I assure you,” he said. “I am confident that in the near future traffic in the Semanggi cloverleaf and [overpass] will diminish.”

In previous trial runs, the Semanggi 1 toll entrance on Jalan Gatot Subroto was closed from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. — the peak of the rush hour. Udar Pristono, head of the Jakarta Transportation Office, said the scheme resulted in “reduced vehicle build-up.”

The transportation office and Jakarta Police’s traffic directorate suggested the permanent closure of three gates along Jalan Gatot Subroto — the Semanggi 1 entrance heading east, the Semanggi 2 exit from the Bekasi area and the Tebet 2 entrance — because these fed congestion in the roads around Semanggi.

Jakarta Deputy Governor Prijanto said the city administration expected state-owned toll operator Jasa Marga to agree to the scheme, because it would help reduce traffic around toll exits and entrances.

Officials also asked the company to consider adding toll booths and expanding the use of electronic payment schemes.

Jasa Marga president director Frans Sunito said the company would comply if the Public Works Ministry ordered it to do so.

He said shutting down toll gates would not affect the company’s income.

“People who use the toll road will keep using it, even though their usual entrance may be closed,” Frans said.

The plan is one of a few that the Jakarta administration is considering to ease the capital’s horrendous traffic problems.

Other proposals include limiting the use of motorcycles in congested areas and blocking some U-turn slots that create bottlenecks.

The closure of the Semanggi vehicle entrance on Friday came a day after city officials met to discuss ways to solve the traffic crisis, which is costing the capital an estimated Rp 12.8 trillion ($1.42 billion) a year.

The meeting was chaired by Vice President Boediono and was attended by ministers, governors, senior officials and Jakarta’s traffic police.

They came up with 17 ways to improve traffic flow in Jakarta, such as cracking down on illegal buses, clearing TransJakarta bus lanes, reviewing parking bylaws, providing access to cheaper fuel for select public transportation, offering incentives to phase out minivans in favor of large buses and pushing through with the Mass Rapid Transit project. Zaky Pawas