The amount of vehicle in Indonesia, particularly in the capital city of Jakarta, should be limited in order to have a better air quality, Kompas daily quoted a minister as saying on Sunday.

Minister for Environment Gusti Muhammad Hatta said that vehicles produced before 1970s should be limited because they are considered as the biggest polluters as they have imperfect burning system that emits more pollution.

"Hopefully, nobody gets angry. The number of vehicle should be limited by prohibiting old vehicles to reduce emission," he said at the Green Festival 2009 here on Saturday.

The opening ceremony of the event was also attended by Minister for Women Empowerment and Children Protection Linda Amalia Saria and Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan.

According to Gusti, vehicle limitation should be conducted with creative strategy.

"Policy of 'three in one' at streets of MH Thamrin and General Sudirman in Jakarta does not provide solution for traffic jam problem because vehicle volume is not reduced," said Gusti, referring to a policy that require a car that should carry at least three passengers, a practice that trigger poor people to provide service as additional passengers on streets.

He also said that policy of motor-vehicle free day at some streets in Jakarta is also not effective as it is conducted one day in one month. "In the future, we will increase the volume, perhaps twice in a month," said Gusti.

According to the event's chairman Nugroho Ferry Yudho, the world has at least 880 million vehicles on streets, meaning that one of seven people has fossil fuel powered-vehicle that will increase the Earth's temperature.

Besides, he said, smoke emitted by motor vehicle contains at least 1,000 poisonous elements.

"Transportation sector contributes 24 percent of green house gas emission," he said.

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