The following article is a response to the proposal by the National Directorate for Territory and Transportation to begin regulating parking on the main arterial road through the capital city, Dili, from Presidente Nicolau Lobato roundabout to BJ Habibie bridge in Bidau. Under the new rule, parking on the main road will be limited to 5 minutes. Failure to comply with this rule will result in a fine of up to $45 as per Article 4 of the highway code. This rule aims to prevent cars from parking on the edges of the road for long periods, which is said to be a major factor in traffic congestion on the main arterial road through the capital.
Fundasaun Mahein (FM) wrote on the topic of traffic management in 2023, advocating for various policies and reforms which we argued are necessary to improve road safety and facilitate movement of people and goods in the capital city. We noted at the time that Dili’s traffic problems have become much worse over the last decade with increased incomes and greater availability of affordable vehicles. However, the situation has been exacerbated by a series of additional factors, including: non-adherence to road rules; lack of policing; unsafe and aggressive driving practices, including by police and government vehicles; lack of robust licensing; and poor infrastructure, including poorly designed junctions and an absence of footbridges or underpasses to enable pedestrians to cross roads safely. Together, these issues are creating serious hazards to public safety, while limiting economic growth by creating delays in the movement of people and goods.
While we welcome government measures aimed at tackling this serious issue, FM believes that the new policy is poorly conceived and will achieve limited success, for several reasons:
- Under the new rule, vehicles are allowed to park for “up to 5 minutes” in the designated parking spaces on the roadside. However, there are many legitimate reasons why vehicles may be parked for longer than five minutes, such as shopping or eating in restaurants. Business owners whose premises are located along the main road will also be negatively affected.
- The zone in which the new rule will be in force stretches from the airport roundabout to BJ Habibie bridge in Bidau, an extremely large area. How will the 5 minutes rule be enforced consistently across this area? Given the limited resources available to the Transit Police, it seems unrealistic that this rule will be enforced consistently.
- It is unclear why parking for longer than five minutes contributes to congestion more than parking for less than five minutes, especially if vehicles are parked correctly in the allocated parking space. Illegal or poor parking certainly contributes to traffic congestion – but it is the manner of parking, rather than the time spent parked, which is the real issue.
- It is unclear what additional measures the Government is implementing to ensure the new rule’s sustainability. What resources have been allocated to ensure its consistent enforcement over the long term? Since independence, dozens of policies and programs have been launched, implemented sporadically, then abandoned. A major example is PNTL’s semi-regular operations to confiscate illegally modified motorcycles. The lack of consistency and overall failure of these operations is illustrated by the fact that these vehicles remain commonplace across the city until now; indeed, some are even owned by police officers and their sons.
- When the government creates poorly conceived programs and implements them arbitrarily, it harms the legitimacy of state authorities, as people learn not to believe that the state has the will or capacity to consistently implement its own policies. This contributes to the public’s disdain for rules and regulations, exacerbating the lawless and chaotic situation in the capital city.
From FM’s perspective, the causes of congestion along the main arterial road are not caused primarily by parking along the roadside for periods longer than five minutes. Rather, they are a combination of several factors including the following:
- Poor parking practices, especially double parking which blocks driving lanes
- A lack of enforcement of existing parking rules
- Poorly designed junctions, particularly the “u-turn” system, inefficient traffic light sequences and inadequate size of sideroads
- Poor driving practices, especially aggressive driving, lack of use of indicators and frequent lane switching, even by heavy vehicles such as trucks and buses
- Microlets stopping randomly, often without pulling in fully to the roadside
- A lack of footbridges and underpasses to enable pedestrians to cross the road without walking through traffic
As the new parking rule does not seriously address any of the above issues, FM believes it will have a negligible effect on traffic congestion in the capital. Moreover, it seems to be part of the broader pattern of short-term thinking and failure to conduct proper studies or analysis before making decisions.
FM reminds policy makers that the issue of dangerous driving and poor traffic management is complex; a multifaceted set of policies which can be reliably and sustainably enforced is therefore needed in order to seriously tackle to this issue.
FM therefore repeats the recommendations we made in our previous article, which we believe will help to address this issue comprehensively and sustainably:
- Overhaul the driver licencing process. The current process for obtaining a driving licence is not sufficiently rigorous and is easily abused, while unlicenced drivers are rarely detected or punished. This suggests that the licencing process should be re-examined and overhauled. Potential reforms could include requiring learner drivers to take a minimum number of driving lessons before applying for their physical driving test. An official agency or company should be established to provide these lessons. Drivers must also be incentivised to follow the correct licencing procedure through rigorous police enforcement. Finally, a mechanism must be created to ensure that public officers are prevented from illegally providing driving licences in return for payment.
- Implement public campaigns to promote road safety and enhance public knowledge of basic road rules. The Government, particularly the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MTC) should implement regular public information campaigns promoting the importance of road safety, teaching fundamental road rules, and informing people about the licencing process.
- Develop a traffic management plan for the capital city. MTC should conduct a study to identify ways to reduce congestion and enhance road safety in the capital city. If necessary, a specific authority under MTC could be established to develop and implement the traffic management plan. It may not be feasible to focus on improving traffic across the entire capital city at once. Thus, MTC could first conduct a pilot project in which one traffic zone – for example Comoro Road dual carriageway – is chosen to become a “model road”. A comprehensive plan for improving safety and traffic flow in that zone could then be created, and, if successful, the same approach could then be applied in other zones. The plan could include: ensuring adequate parking spaces and parking monitoring; building covered pedestrian bridges or underpasses along the most busy streets; establishing a mechanism to improve road maintenance processes; fixing all pavements; updating traffic lights to new models which can be programmed to more effectively manage traffic; and improving city road design such as by adding designated right-turn lanes and traffic filter lights at busy junctions.
- Provide additional parking spaces while preventing parking which contributes to congestion. The Government should provide additional parking in busy zones, such as BNCTL Mandarin, Praia dos Coqueiros and Motael Church. It could consider appropriating empty lots or under-utilised spaces for additional parking spaces. At the same time, Tránsito must prevent drivers from parking in busy driving lanes, including by imposing fines. Not only will this improve congestion, it will provide the government with additional revenues.
- Invest in quality public transport. The Government should aim to replace microlets in Dili with modern city buses, with designated stops and professional drivers. Providing cheap, safe and comfortable public transport will reduce demand for private transport, thereby reducing congestion. The 2018 Transport Sector Master Plan envisioned designated bus lanes for 2023, among many other transport facilities and infrastructure. FM hopes that the incoming Government will revisit this plan.
- Strengthen regulation of taxis, microlets and other “public transportation”. People will continue to rely on the current system of taxis, microlets for the foreseeable future. A 2016 study found that while taxis are regulated under Ministerial-Decree 05/2010, microlets are not formally regulated. At the same time, it is clear that many taxis are not maintained or operated in accordance with existing regulations. It is therefore necessary to strengthen the regulation of these transportation forms, to increase safety and efficiency. Regulation should ensure passenger safety by rigorous training of drivers, enforcement of vehicle maintenance rules and ensuring that only licenced drivers may operate the vehicles.
- Provide the Transit Police (Tránsito) with adequate resources. It is clear that Tránsito requires additional resources and training in order for its officers to effectively carry out their traffic control mission. Therefore, the Government should evaluate the institution’s performance to identify gaps and needs, and implement measures aimed at increasing knowledge of road rules, promoting professionalism, and incentivising officers to implement rules.
