Motorcycles being driven on sidewalks has become a hot topic of discussion lately, particularly since many have pointed to the illegal act as one of the main reasons why Indonesians walk less per day than citizens of other countries, according to a recent study.
The problem is particularly prevalent in Jakarta, with the police catching over 5,000 offenders during a 5-day crackdown operation from July 17-21.
“According to data from enforcing the law against motorcycles being driven on sidewalks during those five days, there were 5,644 motorcyclists who were ticketed,” said AKBP Budiyanto, head of law enforcement at the Jakarta Police’s traffic department, as quoted by Kompas today.
Budiyanto said the large number of offenders is indicative of many people not knowing that there is actually a law against anyone other than pedestrians (and, in some cases, bicyclists) using sidewalks.
Though he did not reveal what punishments the offenders caught during the five-day operation received, Budiyanto reminded the public that motorcyclists or drivers of other motorized vehicles who jeopardize the safety of pedestrians, whether on sidewalks or road crossings, may be punished with two years imprisonment and a fine of Rp 500,000.
On July 14, a video showing a couple of motorcyclists verbally and physically abusing pedestrian rights activists who had told them not to drive on the sidewalk went hugely viral in Indonesia, highlighting that, aside from many motorcyclists in Indonesia not knowing the law, some of them feel that it’s within their right to drive on sidewalks.
While it’s difficult not to be cynical about police crackdowns in Indonesia, let’s hope that this latest crackdown is more than PR-motivated knee-jerk reaction to a hot button issue that the police will quickly forget about before moving on to the next viral traffic law enforcement problem (kids driving motorcycles, anyone?).
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