The hot button traffic issue in Jakarta at the moment is the illegal use of police or emergency vehicle lights by civilian cars, an issue that drove into the spotlight after a man was caught using them to force his way through a traffic jam in the satellite city of Bogor this week.
As those who have lived in Indonesia for a long time could probably predict, the Jakarta Traffic Police are now carrying out a reactionary month-long operation to catch and fine civilians who have installed police lights in their cars.
“The joint operation involves the Traffic Police, Military Police, and Transportation Agency targeting civilian vehicles with lights or sirens illegally installed from October 11 – November 11, 2017,” said AKBP Budiyanto, head of the Law Enforcement Directorate at the Jakarta Traffic Police, as quoted by Detik today.
True enough, many of the most recent photos from the Jakarta Traffic Police’s official Instagram account, @tmcpoldametro, now feature officers confiscating illegal police lights and fining drivers.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaEL0TjDq_l/?taken-by=tmcpoldametro
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaFldKXD9hc/?taken-by=tmcpoldametro
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaFloI6jZuX/?taken-by=tmcpoldametro
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaFlz-UjQMW/?taken-by=tmcpoldametro
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaFmBkSDYCD/?taken-by=tmcpoldametro
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaFniSXDemg/?taken-by=tmcpoldametro
https://www.instagram.com/p/BaFvX4ZjuQP/?taken-by=tmcpoldametro
Indonesian traffic laws dictate that blue strobe lights with sirens can only be used by the police, while red lights with sirens are reserved for emergency or military vehicles and yellow lights are for toll road patrol cars or public facility maintenance vehicles. Civilians caught using any of these lights or sirens may be jailed for up to one month or fined up to IDR250,000 (US$18.50).
Will it be illegal police lights out for good after this operation? Or will we see the re-emergence of arrogant civilian drivers who think they can own the road with illegal lights after the operation is over in a month’s time?
