“We will widen the motorcycle ban until Semanggi. Maybe even all the way down to Jalan Jenderal Sudirman or Ratu Plaze,” Ahok said yesterday, as quoted by Warta Kota.
Ahok said the implementation of a wider motorcycle ban depends on the provincial government’s ability to provide buses as an alternative mode of transportation in the area. Right now, there are only 15 buses capable of transporting motorcyclists free of charge in the current motorcycle-free zone in Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat and Jalan MH Thamrin, Central Jakarta.
“We’ll wait until we have enough buses. There are rules for the motorcycle ban,” Ahok said.
Ahok added that the motorcycle ban is not discriminative against motorcyclists, as the provincial government will charge cars a hefty fee to drive on major roads using electronic road pricing (ERP).
“The [provincial] government has the right to implement policies to limit vehicles on roads to combat traffic jams. One of them is to ban motorcycles on major roads,” he said.
