Toll road users set for emissions tests

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Toll road operator PT Citra Marga Nusaphala Persada (CMNP) plans to start testing the emission levels of private cars passing along the Sedyatmoko turnpike to Tanjung Priok on Wednesday.

The check, for which cars will be selected randomly, will run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"The operator plans to assess the emissions levels of 200 private cars. It's part of CMNP's services to toll road users as the checks will be free," Yusiono Anwar, head of the air pollution unit at the Jakarta Environment Management Board, told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

The cost of an emissions test ranges from Rp 30,000 (about US$3.61) to Rp 50,000 at auto garages.

The owners of cars that pass the test will be given a window sticker, but there will be no sanctions imposed on cars that do not meet the standard.

The emissions testers, which measure carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbon (HC) levels, will be placed in pits along the road to prevent congestion.

A 2005 bylaw on air pollution requires private car owners to have their cars' emissions levels tested twice a year.

The CMNP is a member of the Clean Emission Appreciation (AEB), a 50-member forum organizing emissions tests without charge.

Members of the forum, such as PT Martina Berto in Pulogadung, East Jakarta, only allow vehicles displaying an "emissions-free" sticker to enter their parking areas.

The administration has repeatedly promised to punish the owners of cars that produce emissions in excess of a healthy level, but this is yet to happen.

The administration recently pledged to fully enforce emissions tests by September, a month before Governor Sutiyoso ends his term.

"Pak Sutiyoso is to sign the gubernatorial decree on emissions testing this month, thus, we can fully enforce it in September," Yusiono said.

The city agency will also assess 200 mechanics and 100 auto workshops next week in order ease the implementation of emissions tests in the capital.

The administration plans to certify 600 technicians and 300 auto workshops this year.

Experts have said that land transportation contributes up to 70 percent of air pollution in urban areas.

More than 2.5 million private vehicles hit the city's streets every day, many of them coming from outside Jakarta.

The draft gubernatorial decree stipulates that all private cars driven in the capital, including those from Bekasi, Depok, Tangerang and Bogor, must comply with the emissions standard set by the Jakarta administration.

The State Ministry of National Development Planning predicts that regular emission tests could reduce 50 percent of the CO level, 35 percent of the HC and 45 percent of particulate matter.

It says the emission tests would also reduce fuel use by 3 to 10 percent.