The Purpose of Jakarta's Odd-Even Expansion System

For those residing in Jakarta or its surroundings, the implementation of the odd-even rule in Jakarta is certainly not unfamiliar and may have caused difficulties for friends. This regulation, which has been in effect since August 30, 2016, should ideally have a very good purpose. 

The function of the odd and even system in Jakarta  is actually to limit the number of vehicles passing through several roads in the capital. As is known, the number of private vehicles in Jakarta, both cars and motorcycles, is very high, often causing severe traffic jams.

With a high population and limited road capacity, the traffic congestion problem can become very serious if not handled properly. In recent years, the Jakarta provincial government has actually been trying to reduce the level of congestion in the capital, which seems to have become an annual problem that remains unresolved. Some of these efforts include improving public transportation, road repairs, and expanding the odd-even system in Jakarta.

The Polemic of the Odd-Even System in Jakarta at the Beginning of Implementation

Among these three efforts, the implementation of the odd-even system sometimes causes polemics and problems in society. With this system, the upper-class society who can afford to buy more than one private vehicle clearly will not have much trouble with the system. This is, of course, very different from ordinary people who only own one vehicle. For this reason, in the early days of the implementation of this system, many people protested and expressed their disagreement.

Although the implementation of this system in Jakarta is often debated, the Jakarta provincial government seems to still intend to maintain and expand the implementation of this system. This system actually has a quite effective function if applied properly. Unfortunately, this has not yet been the case in the homeland.

The odd-even system itself is actually not only used for vehicles. In some cases, this system can also be applied to the purchase of fuel, food, or clean water under certain circumstances. With this system, the purchase of goods will be more orderly and controlled.  

The Purpose of Implementing Odd-Even in Jakarta

For the odd-even vehicle system in Jakarta, the local government aims to reduce the increasingly severe traffic congestion. By implementing this system, the government hopes that the public can switch to other actions such as using public transportation, reducing fuel consumption, and carpooling.

The government hopes that by doing so, the public will increasingly abandon private vehicles and switch to available public transportation. This not only reduces the population of private vehicles but also decreases the consumption of fuel that often causes air pollution. Therefore, the public is urged not to engage in illegal actions to avoid Jakarta's odd-even.

Regarding the impact of this implementation, the governor of DKI Jakarta has several times presented statements highlighting the benefits of the odd-even vehicle system over the past few years. In collaboration with related agencies, the Jakarta provincial government explained several benefits of the odd-even vehicle implementation, one of which is the claimed decrease in traffic congestion compared to previous years.

This is evidenced by the speed of vehicles before and after this system was implemented. Before implementation, the average speed of drivers was only around 25 km/h, but after the odd-even implementation, the speed increased to 28.5 km/h. This increase in speed is clearly related to the improvement in travel time for vehicles. According to the Jakarta provincial government, the odd-even system has saved Jakarta residents' travel time by several minutes.

In addition to this, the Jakarta Transportation Agency also claims that the number of vehicles passing through has decreased after the odd-even implementation. It seems that the improvement in public transportation quality and the implementation of the odd-even system have raised public awareness about traffic congestion. A good start to reduce urban residents' dependence on private vehicles.