Low Emission Zone (LEZ) Expansion in Jakarta: Acceptability and Restriction Preference

Abstract

After the Jakarta government enacted a policy to improve air quality in high-priority areas and established Low Emission Zone (LEZ) in the Kota Tua Tourism Area (KTTA), there is now a plan to replicate this LEZ in other locations. However, the current scale of the LEZ in the KTTA and the ongoing issues with public acceptance, raise the question of how the Jakarta Government effectively replicates this policy in other locations. This study aims to explore the socio-psychological factors that affect acceptability and restriction preference (i.e., type of vehicle and strategies) on LEZ replication in Jakarta. For those purposes, questionnaires were distributed to the commuters in Jakarta, and hierarchical Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Multinomial Logistics Regression (MNL) were used to analyze the data. The support for LEZ expansion to other locations was found to be shaped by the trust of the government, the level of environmental concern, and personal and social norms concerning LEZ implementation. The perception of the form of full-scale restriction (i.e., combinations of the vehicle types to be restricted and/or the TDM strategies) that should be implemented within the LEZ area is associated with higher acceptability and environmental concern. Moreover, younger and wealthier people are among the groups who are more concerned about the effectiveness of LEZ implementation.