VIVAnews - Jakarta is seemingly running out of ideas to overcome traffic congestion issue. From bus ways, vehicle limitations to the Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) system, all seem to be falling apart.
Until now, the idea of implementing the ERP system suggested by Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo looks like an eternal plan. The promised feasibility study has not also led to any conclusion.
Singapore, with its various vehicle restriction programs, has successfully avoided the congestions. One of the prominent programs is the ERP system.
Almost every road in Singapore utilizes the ERP system. The tariffs are different than each other. The prices are calculated based on the route and the time.
For instance, during rush hours, the tariff is about SGD 4 or around Rp 28 thousand while it is only SGD 2 or Rp 14 thousand at night.
Trips from Woodlands to Raffles via Yishun will also cost more than the others.
Do not expect to avoid the ERP system in Singapore because there are no alternative routes. “The [Singapore] government is really clever. They didn’t make other roads (besides the ones with ERP). You have to go through it whether you like it or not,“ one of the taxi drivers, Husin Bi Sahab, who lives in Jurong, said to VIVAnews.com.
Then, how about the payment system? The Singapore government has thought of something automatic. Every vehicle is equipped with a device that catches sensors in ERP gates. The device is called the In-vehicle unit (IU).
The IU also records numbers of transactions made while going through the gates. This is enabled by the cash cards, which contain a kind of prepaid vouchers, installed in the device.
In taxis, the IU is usually put on front dashboards. Every time the car goes under ERP gates, the device produces a beep sound and the prices are automatically recorded.
The IU is also used in private vehicles. “Every vehicle has to put it on,” Husin said.
Roads employing the ERP system are usually the ones that connect business districts with central locations.
The adoption of ERP forces the people of Singapore not to travel on their private vehicles unless they are having emergencies. It is different than Jakarta residents who drive to lunch in a short distance.
It is understandable that Singaporeans prefer public transports like buses and trains to their own cars because it costs them less. It is also because the country provides safe and decent modes of transportations.
--
Translated by: Nataya Ermanti
• VIVAnews
