Kemacetan arus balik di ruas Nganjuk-Saradan lebih sedikit dibanding tahun-tahun sebelumnya. Meski tetap ada kemacetan khususya ruas Surabaya-Solokle arah Surabaya, namun kemacetan tidak separah tahun-tahun sebelumnya.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The government and the National Police need to work on measures to anticipate potential traffic congestion after the Lebaran festivities. Without proper planning, the fact that trucks will be allowed to hit the road again on Friday (30/6) could trigger severe congestion, as could the homebound travel by millions of people.
Indonesian Transportation Society observer Djoko Setijowarno on Tuesday (27/6) said the operation of big trucks starting Friday would add to the traffic volume given their big dimensions as well as slow speeds.
Trucks are expected to fill the northern roads of Central Java and West Java as well as the southern roads in West Java before entering the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road. During last year’s holiday season, the northern route served as the backbone for motorcyclists and cars heading to Semarang and nearby cities.
On West Java’s southern route, uphill and downhill roads will slow down trucks and add to the congestion.
Friday and Saturday are expected to see the peak of post-Lebaran traffic, as most of holidaymakers will want to rest at their homes a day or two before returning to work on Monday (3/7). Civil servants and most private-sector employees will return to office on Monday.
The holiday travelers heading to Jakarta and big trucks from various directions are expected to trigger traffic congestion in several spots. Many car drivers will take the Gringsing-Brebes emergency toll road to avoid the trucks.
Meanwhile, the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road was set to see the most severe congestion, as all vehicles headed to Jakarta converge here, Djoko said, adding that private cars and trucks would meet on the toll road.
“A solution to solve the traffic congestion needs to be well prepared to make sure all officials have the same view. Simulations to handle traffic congestion during the homebound travel period were run several times, so that all measures taken by police and the government would make the traffic smoother. Now, the police and the government are outlining the same plan,” said Djoko.
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said the government and police had three measures prepared to overcome congestion. These are contraflow traffic management, periodic closing and opening of access to the Gringsing-Brebes toll road and telling travelers to return to Jakarta before Friday.
It was impossible for the government to prevent trucks from hitting the road, because [trucking] was related to economic activities, Budi Karya said.
“Trucks have been barred [from the road] for eight days. It is impossible to extend that,” he added.
To avoid traffic congestion, the homebound travelers were urged to return to Jakarta before Friday. “I call on the travelers to return soon. Otherwise, they risk being trapped in congestion. Starting on June 30, big trucks will be allowed to operate,” Budi Karya said.
He predicted increased traffic volumes from Wednesday through Sunday (June 28 to July 2). “The peak will be on Friday or Saturday. I think it should be spread out to Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. If we distribute the traffic across five days, or around 20,000 cars per day, that would be better. The remaining holidays could be spent in Jakarta,” Budi added.
All eyes on Jakarta-Cikampek toll road
Land Transportation director general Pudji Hartanto Iskandar said the Cipali-Cikampek-Jakarta toll road would be the focus of attention, because the route was an entry point to Jakarta. “The toll road is a meeting point for cars from several directions heading to Jakarta. The rest area at Kilometer 62 of the Cikampek-Jakarta toll road will potentially trigger traffic congestion, as it is the first rest area when entering Jakarta. Long queues at the rest area have triggered traffic congestion on the toll road,” Pudji added.
National Police Traffic Corps operational head Sr. Comr. Benyamin said that, judging from the outbound traffic last week, the queue at the rest area had triggered the traffic congestion. The parking bays designed to reduce traffic were insufficient.
That prompted drivers to stop their cars on the roadside to take a rest, triggering a long queue and worsening the congestion.
To prevent this, police would apply the contraflow traffic system. One lane from the opposing direction would be used for traffic heading to Jakarta.
“When there is congestion, the contraflow system will help reduce gridlock. For Jakarta-bound post-Lebaran travelers, congestion on the Cikampek toll road will potentially occur from Km 66 to Km 42, because there is a point of convergence of the Cipularang and Cipali toll roads. If needed, we will apply the contraflow system,” Benyamin said.
The police find it difficult to tackle traffic from Cikampek by directing it to Jl. Kalimalang and to Puncak, Bogor. Benyamin said most of the motorists refused to take those two routes, because they were more congested and the roads were narrower.
Pudji said the Gringsing-Brebes emergency road had also become a focus of the government and police. The road will be open from the morning to the afternoon due to the lack of street lighting.
Yet, police may open it at night if the northern route is in total gridlock. The operation of the emergency road will be secured by police officials. The speed limit will be 40 kilometers per hour.
Post-Lebaran traffic starts
Traffic volumes from Tegal heading to Brebes and Jakarta have increased. Many cars bearing Greater Jakarta license plates were seen, causing congestion at the East Brebes toll road entrance gate.
Congestion occurred on Simpang Maya, Tegal, heading to the Brebes Timur toll gate. It took Kompas around an hour to travel 9.5 km. Normally, it takes only 15 minutes.
Along Java’s northern route, numerous cars heading to Jakarta were seen will luggage on the rooftops. The Cipali toll road in the direction of Jakarta was still deserted. There were several cars on the Cikampek-Jakarta toll road, but the traffic speed was fine. Meanwhile, traffic from Jakarta to Cikampek was normal, as the outbound traffic season has ended.
Traffic from Pejagan, Brebes to the southern route was still heavy due to the railway crossing. The most severe congestion occurred at the Karang Sawah crossing.
