At the moment, the only way for traffic violators in Jakarta to be punished is if they are caught red-handed by the authorities on the road or at traffic checkpoints set up at various points in the city. While many cities in the world have long utilized traffic cameras to automatically punish offenders, the traffic police in Jakarta are only just now discussing the possibility.
That discussion was borne out of a rumor on social media that the police had already installed traffic cameras throughout the city and that they have been active since September 1. The Jakarta Metro Police had to quash the rumor but admitted that traffic cameras might be in the works.
“(The rumors are a) hoax. Jakarta doesn’t yet have (traffic cameras),” said Halim Pagarra, director of the Traffic Department at the Jakarta Metro Police, as quoted by Detik yesterday.
“(Traffic cameras in Jakarta) are still in the planning process.”
Indonesia’s second largest city, Surabaya, is already ahead of Jakarta in this regard. The way it works in Surabaya is that the Transportation Agency obtains photographic evidence of traffic violations from traffic cameras, forwards the information to the police, who then mail the traffic ticket to the violator’s residence so that they can pay the fine.
Traffic cameras were installed in July in Surabaya. Since then, they have been used for a trial run and socialization period, during which violators caught on camera are only given warnings instead of fines. Violators caught on camera will be subject to fines starting in October.
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