"The government needs to develop road infrastructure that meets the standards. Infrastructure should be built not only in the big cities, but also in other regions," stated Hetifah, a member of Commission V on Public Works Affairs of the House of Representatives (DPR) here on Monday.
She emphasized that infrastructure plays a crucial role in reducing the quantity and severity of traffic accidents, which in many ways is related to both regulations and their enforcement.
Therefore, Hetifah, who is a politician of the Golkar Party, remarked that the government should correctly develop road infrastructure that can provide access to isolated areas.
"The results of surveys conducted by the Golkar party indicate that the remote regions urgently needed road access to isolated areas," the Golkar Partys politician pointed out.
She elaborated that only about 60-70 percent of the roads in districts/municipalities were viewed to be in good condition. The condition is different from the national roads, spanning 38,600 km, which is considered 90 percent satisfactory.
In the meantime, the Indonesian Traffic Watch (ITW) has stated that the national road safety movement must be supported by properly functioning, adequate infrastructure.
"The launch of the national movement for road traffic safety must not stop in ceremonial activities for image building," ITW Presidium Chairman Edison Siahaan remarked in a statement on Sunday.
Traffic accidents can occur due to various factors and are not merely due to human error, he pointed out, adding that the factors included damaged roads and unworthiness of vehicles.
"Dont dream that safety can be achieved solely by urging the people," he noted.
The government must evaluate the quality and quantity of the roads, which have suffered damage due to the recent spate of floods across the nation, he reported.
He also called on the police to adopt a stricter screening process while issuing driving licenses, and the Ministry of Transportation to intensify its efforts to check and test the road worthiness of vehicles.
Besides that, the National Police must also be proficient in training its officers to have a pioneering mentality towards traffic safety, he stated.
(A014/INE)
EDITED BY INE
Editor: Suryanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2014
