A parking meter and some enthusiastic attendants on Jl Sabang. Photo: Twitter/@BillyYuriko
After the great success of the electronic parking meters installed on Jalan Sabang, the Jakarta Transportation agency is planning to next install meters on two more busy streets – specifically the infamous Jalan Falatehan in Blok M, South Jakarta and Jalan Boulevard in Kelapa Gading, North Jakarta.
One hundred of the city’s new electronic parking meters (which now accept auto debit or electronic card payments, not coins as when they first appeared on Sabang) will be installed on the two streets in early March, with 87 on Jalan Boulevard and 13 on Jalan Falatehan.
Some of you may know that Jalan Falatehan is a small street in Blok M infamous for its bars that are mainly populated by prostitutes who target the expats (or rather sexpats) that frequent the area. The street has historically been filled with preman (thugs) who control parking along the street and have been known to rob drunken expats and relieve them of their wallets.
The electronic parking meters, which are managed by official attendants paid by the city administration, are meant to combat the power of the parking preman. So it will be interesting to see what effect it has on the infamous Falatehan’s criminal ecosystem.
The electronic parking meters have already produced a sizable income for the city on Sabang, and the transportation agency estimates that the new meters on Jalan Boulevard alone could bring in as much as Rp 150 million per month.
