Standardisation of toll roads deemed urgent
This article has been translated by PwC Indonesia as part of our Indonesia Infrastructure News Service. PwC Indonesia has not checked the accuracy of, and accepts no responsibility for the content.
Investor Daily - Standardisasi jalan tol dinilai mendesak
10 February 2025
By Heru Febrianto
Accidents involving over-dimension and overload (ODOL) vehicles on toll roads continue to occur. Therefore, comprehensive improvements and evaluations are necessary to standardise vehicles and enhance safety on toll roads.
House of Representatives (DPR) Commission V Member Bakri H.M. stated that they would establish a work committee to address the drinking water gallon truck accident at the Ciawi 2 Toll Gate in Bogor Regency, West Java, which killed eight people on Tuesday (4/2).
Bakri explained that the work committee will discuss the standardisation of toll roads and summon relevant parties, including the Transportation Ministry, to investigate the standards for vehicles allowed on toll roads.
"The work committee will discuss the minimum standards for toll roads. Following that, we will summon the Toll Road Regulatory Agency (BPJT), the Public Works Ministry, and the Transportation Ministry," Bakri said in his official statement in Jakarta on Friday (7/2/2025).
Bakri believes that the work committee will offer recommendations to companies that transport heavy loads. The aim is to implement comprehensive improvements and evaluations concerning the standardisation of vehicles and safety on toll roads.
"Around two or three months ago, a similar accident occurred due to brake failure. We want to inspect the vehicles using toll roads, as there are regulations," he added.
Bakri also mentioned that the plan to revise the Traffic Law has not yet been realised. He emphasised that the revision is crucial for enhancing transportation safety in Indonesia.
"We at the DPR want to revise the Traffic Law. However, it has not been realised yet. We have scheduled it," he stated.
He supports the statement of Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi, who emphasised the importance of clear sanctions for violators in the transportation sector. "We agree with what the Transportation Minister stated. There must be clear sanctions to make this a special focus of the government," Bakri emphasised.
He believes that the gallon truck accident on the Ciawi Toll Road was caused either by an unfit vehicle or driver negligence. However, he has handed over further investigations to the teams that have been working since the accident, including the National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC), the Transportation Ministry, the Public Works Ministry, and the police.
"This incident is due to either the vehicle or the driver. We will hand it over to the teams that have been working since yesterday, including the NTSC, the Transportation Ministry, the Highways Directorate General, and the police," he explained.
Bakri also expressed his condolences to the victims of the accident. "We do not deny that this could happen again, an accident involving our loved ones like that night," he stated.
With the establishment of the work committee, the DPR hopes to provide concrete recommendations to prevent similar accidents in the future and to enhance transportation safety standards in Indonesia.
Supervision on logistics vehicles
On a separate occasion, DPR Commission V Member Sudjatmiko urged the Transportation Ministry and the BPJT to be strict in supervising logistics vehicles on toll roads.
Sudjatmiko stated that the accident at the Ciawi Toll Gate towards Jakarta was due to negligence by regulators and companies in managing their logistics services. He believes that this incident, which resulted in eight deaths and 11 severe injuries, could have been prevented if those parties had not been negligent.
"This phenomenon is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the mismanagement of logistics transportation in Indonesia. These incidents keep happening, and no one is taking different measures to supervise the traffic of logistics and commercial vehicles," Sudjatmiko stated.
He suggests that the Transportation Ministry and the BPJT ban unfit vehicles, especially ODOL commercial vehicles. This includes vehicles deemed unfit to drive and unfit to be on toll roads.
"There are still unfit vehicles entering and exiting toll roads. They disrupt other vehicles, so there must be a warning system at the toll gate, such as markings or signs, to prevent them from entering," he explained.
He emphasised that such traffic accidents must not happen again. He expressed his condolences to the family of PT Jasa Marga, who lost their best employees in the accident.
"I extend my condolences to the extended family of PT Jasa Marga and the families of the victims. May everyone be granted strength, and may the severely injured victims have a speedy recovery," he stated.
In the future, he will seek an explanation from the Transportation Ministry regarding its governance of commercial vehicles and toll road users. "We aim for zero accidents on toll roads, especially those involving public transportation services," he added.
Driver coaching
Previously, Acting Land Transportation Director General of the Transportation Ministry Ahmad Yani explained that the truck carrying gallons was travelling towards Jakarta from Ciawi. It is suspected that the truck experienced brake failure near the toll gate, causing it to hit several vehicles that were making e-toll payments.
Regarding this matter, the Land Transportation Directorate General has responded and addressed the incident by coordinating with various relevant stakeholders.
"In response to this accident, we have coordinated with the local police to collect data on the incident. We aim to provide guidance by inviting all related parties to anticipate and prevent similar accidents in the future," Ahmad Yani revealed.
As a follow-up step, Yani said that he will summon the management of the drinking water company and the transportation operator to inspect safety measures. He also aims to hold a dissemination on safety management for all companies that transport drinking water between Sukabumi and Jakarta.
"Additionally, we will provide driver coaching on safe driving practices and how to check their brakes before travelling," Yani added.
Based on the data received from Mitra Darat, the truck that has the plate number B 9235 PYW still has an effective periodic testing status until 11 May 2025.
His agency emphasised that all freight transportation companies must ensure the condition of their drivers and vehicles before traveling to minimise the risk of accidents.
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