Increasing the price of petrol is the best way to solve growing traffic and pollution problems. To what extent do you agree or disagree? What other measures do you think might be effective?

The gasoline price escalation is one of the most effectives ways to address emerging traffic while decreasing air pollution. By increasing petrol’s price, many consumers will considerably use their private vehicles and in the long term lead to establishment of more environment friendly fuel. Beside these, decreasing fossil fuel-based vehicles’ sell is assumed as another good alternative. First and foremost, in many developing countries, the tag price of gasoline seems too affordable for most of citizens. People prefer to mobilise using their owned car, motorcycle, and other sort of private transportation mode in daily basis as it is the most efficient and effective way to transport. In addition, the mass transportation network is still far from ideal to satisfy all of public needs and convenient minimum standards. As a consequence, the amount of private vehicles exceeds the capacity of roads so the traffic has been emerging as the most serious urban or suburban problems in recent decades. Take Indonesia as an examples. The growth of middle-income populations tends to linear with private car’s growth. This phenomenon is main factor leading to deadlock traffic especially within rush hour. Undoubtedly, the stagnation of fuel price is burdening the government fiscal capacity. Due to fuel global market price fluctuation, the authority often subsidizes the margin which is formed by the gap between production cost and fixed selling price. Of course, this will give disincentive for the policy maker to develop more ecofriendly fuel to substitute fossil-fuel role which is perceived as root factor to poor air quality. For instance, Indonesia consistently left behind among other ASEAN countries in renewable energy development. Obviously, this phenomenon come from the inadequate government budget which clearly prioritise to give subsidy for fossil fuels domestic market. On the other hand, there are many alternative solutions to these problems. One of the most underrated approach is pressing conventional cars producers to slow down their producing. In developing countries context, the private vehicles industry is one of the greatest sources of national revenues which boosts the economic growth. So, heightening economic growth usually means to improve the selling’s rate of this industry. Without doubt, by selling decreases, the private vehicles growth will also plunge and followed by decreasing traffic intensity significantly. At the end of the day, combination of improved petrol’s price as well as intervening the automotive production capacity appears as two innovative policy acted by the government to address traffic problems. Furthermore, these decisions open the room for public to get their right of high quality of clean air.