One of the many, many factors that cause the crazy congestion seen in Jakarta and its satellite cities is the lack of proper parking facilities and the ubiquity of street parking narrowing already cramped roads. Attempts to enforce rules on-street parking regulations have not always worked out so well in the past but the satellite city of Depok wants to try a new tactic to battle street parking that is rarely used in Indonesia — incredibly heavy fines.
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The Depok City Government has proposed a revision to their transportation regulations that would require Depok residents wanting to purchase a car to prove that they have a garage to store their vehicle.
“That is to ensure orderliness among the people. The basis for this consideration is the aspirations of many citizens who have complained that there is too much parking on the streets, which disturbs the residents,” Depok City Transportation Agency head Dadang Wihana told Kompas yesterday.
Dadang said the proposed revision would be enforced with a proposed maximum fine of IDR20 million (US$1,440) for those caught parking their cars on the streets illegally. It’s an enormous fine, especially considering that the minimum wage in Depok is IDR3.8 million.
However, Dadang said that the proposal was still a long way off and there would be many more discussions about it before it was implemented. He said that a committee would hopefully propose a final draft of the revision before the end of the year.
Nevertheless, Dadang said the revision was in the public interest as even public spaces like parks, sports fields and houses of worship were being used as parking spaces due to the lack of garages and other parking facilities.
On the one hand, such heavy fines could reduce street parking would help reduce congestion and perhaps push more people to choose cars over public transport — if they were properly implemented and enforced. On the other hand, if more parking facilities aren’t built in tandem with the policy it may be hard to justify to citizens who complain of not having any legal space to park their cars.
Do you think a IDR20 million fine for street parking is necessary or too much? Let us know what you think in the comments below or on social media.
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