[sustran] Jakarta: Activists say Carfree Days are "A Waste"

[Todd Edelman, Green Idea Factory]

  Activists: Car-Free Days Are 'A Waste'

http://www.thejakartaglobe.com/news/city/article/10931.html

Environmental activists on Monday urged the Jakarta Administration to 
temporarily halt its car-free days on selected city roads, saying a 
re-evaluation was needed because the event had failed to reduce air 
pollution and loose regulations have resulted in many violations, 
including those by senior officials.

"Legally, the car-free days cannot be stopped, but the city 
administration should halt them temporarily and conduct a review of what 
went wrong. Honestly, it's been such a waste," Selamet Daroyni, the 
executive director of the Jakarta branch of Indonesian Forum for the 
Environment, or Walhi, told a press conference.

Selamet said car-free days, generally on Sundays, had failed to achieve 
the short-term objective of minimizing air pollution and also had failed 
to encourage Jakarta residents to be more environmentally friendly and 
less dependent on cars.

"If we perceive this issue from the three success indicators, I'd say 
these events did not help much," Selamet said.

He said the indicators were public participation, air pollution 
reduction and public obedience, including by government officials and 
law enforcers.

Ahmad Safrudin, of the Committee for Phasing Out Leaded Gasoline, said 
car-free days merely relocated traffic flow from one place to another 
without reducing air pollutants.

He said that a report by the Jakarta Environmental Management Board, or 
BPLHD, that air pollution has decreased significantly was unreliable.

"Jakarta has five air quality monitoring systems, but only one of them 
is working, so I doubt the report," he said.

Ahmad said the inefficiency of car-free days had been proven by many 
violations, with some of the violators being government officials and 
policemen.

Responding to criticism, Rina Suryani, the BPLHD head of natural 
resources monitoring, said they had scientific measurements to prove 
that car-free days had in fact contributed significantly to air 
pollution reduction.

"In some parts of Jakarta, the air quality has gotten better because of 
this program," she said.

Rina said the board could not enforce sanctions against violators 
because the 2005 bylaw enabling car-free days had not stipulated any.

Jakarta's car-free days began in September 2007 and are held on the last 
Sunday of each month.

This year BPLHD has scheduled 22 road closure events.

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Todd Edelman
Green Idea Factory

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CAR is over. If you want it.

"Fort mit der Autostadt und was Neues hingebaut!" 
- B. Brecht (with slight modification)

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