Understandably, the roads are slippery and visibility is shrinking, while from time to time the roads are getting increasingly crowded.
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·3 minutes read
Kompas/Totok Wijayanto
People pick out Christmas ornaments sold along Jalan Pintu Kecil, Tambora, Jakarta, on Monday. In the lead up to the Christmas celebrations, sellers have started selling various Christmas ornaments. Bells for decorations are sold for Rp 50,000, while the price of a Christmas tree can reach millions of rupiah, depending on the number of ornaments and the height of the tree.
In song, the Christmas and New Year’s holiday season is called the most wonderful time of the year. It is good for us to enjoy a time of cheer.
When it has been observed people are increasingly choosing to travel than to go shopping, it is reasonable that traveling and the movement of people will increase ahead of the New Year. However, when this mobility arrives, we need to be alert to another condition.
As we read in the news on Monday (18/12), the Transportation Ministry has predicted that 5.9 million people will use the Christmas holidays, which coincides with the school and New Year’s holidays at the end of this month. Of this figure, it is estimated that nearly half, or 42 percent, will travel by land in private cars.
Though we are in a joyful mood, we must pay attention to the reality of nature. The end of December, even though it has not yet peaked, is the rainy season. In Jakarta over the last several days, the rain has not been incessant, but it has been heavy. Short bursts of heavy rain caused flooding in a number of places.
On the journeys, the rain of course demanded drivers to be more discipline and careful. Understandably, the roads are slippery and visibility is shrinking, while from time to time the roads are getting increasingly crowded.
In this context, drivers should be in a fit condition and vehicles should have been well maintained. Besides the homebound travelers and tourists, the authorities in charge of road conditions and all support facilities are also expected to be prepared. We also ask that the same attention be paid to other transportation modes.
We hope that the airlines and railway companies are as well prepared as they can be. We underline this, because the holiday travel will occur during a rainy season that has been overcast by extreme weather.
We also need to pay attention to tourist destinations. Vigilance must accompany every activity. Those traveling by boat or ship have to be aware of their load capacity, and managers of tourist attractions are obliged to check their amusement park facilities.
Possibly, this all sounds familiar. However, it is our obligation to always remind (frapper toujours) people, with our best intention. Don’t ever let the holidays, which are intended to relieve fatigue after working hard for a year and to spend joyful moments with hometown relatives, be disrupted on the streets or at tourist sites.
The success of homebound activities or excursions needs commitment and discipline from the government as the provider and management of infrastructure and facilities, as well as the public as their users. If tourism is expected to be promoted as a new source of income and be appreciated, occasions such as the homebound and yearend holidays are an appropriate time to show proficiency in their management and implementation.
