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Online comments: Force Vehicles Off Roads to Cut Gridlock: Expert (May 27)

Jakarta’s traffic problems are the responsibility of the government, and local government in particular. We cannot blame people for using their cars and motorbikes to commute to and from their offices every day, they do it because there is no alternative. People need to get to their place of work and public transportation in the capital sucks.

The Jakarta administration should have built a MRT system 20 years ago, then levied a road tax on anyone driving their car into business districts on work days. People would prefer to commute via the MRT than drive to work, but unfortunately they have no choice.
Putrimawar

Fuel is cheap in Indonesia because it is subsidized by the Indonesian government to the tune of $6 billion a year. Consideration must be given to cutting the fuel subsidy so motorists will use their vehicles more wisely.
kales

Great article. Motorcycles should be banned from main roads in areas such as Sudirman or Semanggi. Offices along Sudirman should not provide parking spaces for employees so that they will be forced to take public transportation. In this way people will change their habits.

There should be parking spaces available but with crazy hourly fees like in other busy cities, e.g. New York. The spaces should be located in spots close to busway terminals, train stations and MRT stations (if we ever get an MRT, that is). Those angry with the high parking fees should take a look at statistics relating to the damage caused by traffic. To win the battle (against traffic madness), we all have to sacrifice a little. 
nemesis

It seems to me, as a foreigner driving on Jakarta’s roads, that one of the biggest problems is the drivers themselves. They routinely block lanes in an attempt to jockey for position. Outside malls we see double, triple and even quadruple stopping or parking, especially by buses and taxis. It is also common to see drivers run red lights.

In a city where most people pay to obtain their driver’s license without a test, this lack of discipline is readily explained by a lack of knowledge of the rules of the road.
Toa