End of the road for Indonesia’s motorbikes?
A lack of transportation infrastructure and a boom in car sales are making traffic jams not just a daily nuisance, but a long-term economic liability for many of Southeast Asia’s major cities
Motorbike regulations are creating more and more bumps in the road for commuters throughout Southeast Asia, as major cities try to curb two-wheelers to reduce traffic and air pollution.
Hanoi has vowed to ban motorcycles entirely by 2030. Last year in the Philippines, regulators in Baguio City prohibited two-wheeled vehicles, including bicycles, within the city limits but the rule was later reversed after a backlash on social media.
In January, authorities in Kuala Lumpur proposed banning underbone motorcycles from entering the city centre to reduce carbon emissions. For now the bikes are still permitted. However, the city has prohibited motorcycle taxis, citing safety concerns.
But it is Indonesia’s capital of Jakarta – among the worst cities in the world for traffic congestion – that faces some particularly difficult choices that are unlikely to make commuters happy in the short-term.
Jakarta had plans to expand a ban on motorcycles in the capital’s business district in September but the trial effort was delayed a month, city officials said, to give time for infrastructure projects to be completed. Still, if the trial is successful, Jakarta will ban two-wheeled vehicles from three major thoroughfares.