Impact of Odd-Even Driving Restrictions on Air Quality in Jakarta

Abstract

Governments often enact driving restrictions through transportation demand management programs to solve traffic congestion and air pollution problems in a city or region by prohibiting the public from using their private vehicles during certain days. Driving restrictions are quite prevalent in cities in which many private cars are operated, including DKI Jakarta, where such a program has been implemented for several years. The purpose of this study is to estimate the effect or impact of the expansion of odd-even driving restrictions on DKI Jakarta’s ambient air quality. Carried out by regression discontinuity design, this study found that the odd-even driving restrictions do not significantly reduce DKI Jakarta’s air pollutants. Several factors that affect the restrictions’ impact include the restrictions’ selective mechanism and compensating response managed by the public. Thus, the government should improve the restriction mechanism or enact more impactful programs to solve the air quality problem in DKI Jakarta.