JAKARTA (JP): It seems a problem of the modern age: Traffic jams leading to nowhere, suffocating air pollution from vehicle exhaust and a public transportation system which runs on its own haphazard timetable.

Is transportation in Jakarta a lost cause?

Not for environmental expert Otto Soemarwoto, who said there were many ways to fix the problems -- and safeguard the environment.

"The city administration will even increase its revenue if the program succeeds," he told The Jakarta Post recently.

He proposed a system that focused on efficient public transportation and car pooling, with disincentives, such as higher taxes, for private vehicle use.

"The purpose is to create an energy-saving transport system in order to improve efficiency. Efficiency makes fuel usage decrease and thus it reduces gas exhaust emissions."

Lower emissions would also help reduce the problem of air pollution.

Otto said the problem with the current policy was its emphasis on privately owned vehicles as the backbone of the transportation system, resulting in more and more vehicles on the road every year.

The government's plan of action to deal with the problem is to widen roads and build new ones.

"It goes on and on like that, like a vicious circle. More vehicles cause more traffic jams. The roads are then widened or the government builds new ones, and it results in more vehicles ...," Otto said.

"It looks like building new roads hasn't solved anything, it actually made things worse. Sides of the roads are also used as parking space, which worsens traffic jams."

Resorting to building more roads is also not fiscally feasible, he added.

"The United States, one of the richest countries in the world, can't even afford that. But that's our common perception," said the professor at Bandung's Padjadjaran University.

Because the government's fuel subsidy plays an important role in the country's social and economic life, Otto said how energy was used in transportation was also an important consideration.

The sedan ranks first for highest energy usage per kilometer per passenger, even greater than airplanes, intercity trains and intercity buses.

"The bigger the energy usage, the higher the government's subsidy for fuel. That means the sedan gets the highest subsidy yet those buying sedans are the wealthy," Otto said.

"The government should develop disincentives to hamper the inefficient usage of cars. It means charging higher tax for car users to reduce the subsidy given by the government and paid for by people who don't use cars,"

Conversely, he said, the government should provide incentives for public transportation and a pooling system for workers and students.

Nonmotorized vehicles like bicycles are not accommodated in the city's transportation system as there are no special lanes reserved for them. Pedestrians are also overlooked, he said..

"Everything has been replaced by motorized vehicles, while most of the cities in Indonesia are not big cities. Therefore, we can assume that most trips are under five kilometers," Otto said.

Data from various foreign countries also found that on average 24 percent of car trips were for distances of less than one kilometer, 46 percent up to three kilometers and 59 percent for up to five kilometers.

Such short distances would probably best be covered by bike, with no exhaust fumes and the added plus of a bit of cardiovascular exercise for the riders. However, there are only 30 to 40 bikes per 1,000 people in Jakarta.

He said the government should encourage people to ride bicycles or to walk by providing spaces for these activities.

But he contended that part of the problem hampering efforts to promote walking instead of driving came from concerns about social status.

"Government officials here are arrogant. In foreign countries, top government officials, even prime ministers, take the subway or ride a bike instead of using cars.

"Here, no officials will do it. They say it's not appropriate."

Mass bicycle usage, he said, will encourage bicycle and spare parts production, assembling and distribution.

"Based on the recent report from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT), Indonesia's bicycle market has potential. The foreign market for bicycles also shows potential."

There may be other payoffs in revenue for the city and private sector's coffers.