Every so often, the Jakarta Police will hold what they call “Operation Zebra”, during which they supposedly intensify their traffic operations and hand out thousands of tickets to rule-breaking motorists in order to “instill discipline” in the capital’s unruly drivers. They recently completed one such operation in which they proudly announced that they had reprimanded or ticketed 103,633 motorists.
And yet, despite many such Operation Zebras having taken place, the vast majority of drivers in Jakarta seem just as likely to ignore the rules of the road as ever before (if not more so).
Indonesia Traffic Watch, an NGO that advocates for Indonesia’s macet-enduring masses, has now asked Indonesian Police Chief General Badrodin Haiti to review the effectiveness of traffic-related operations such as Operation Zebra, which they believe has had little impact on the capital’s terrible traffic.
“These operation do not have a positive effect on public awareness about orderly traffic. Congestion and chaos are still a regular part of the city’s landscape,” Edison told reporters on Thursday as quoted by Tribunnews.
Edison went on to say that Operation Zebra were simply done for budgetary purposes with the possibility that funds directed at such traffic operations were being used for corruption as well.
It’s not surprising to us that occasional and random ticketing doesn’t have much of an effect on drivers. Just like with disciplining young children, police have to be consistent in punishing rule breaking drivers, and the punishment must be heavier than a small ticket that they are likely just to bribe their way out of.
