13 Million Holidaymakers Make It Home

KOMPAS/WISNU WIDIANTORO

An officer arranges motorcyclists waiting to board the ferry to Bakauheni Port at Merak Port, Banten, on Tuesday (12/6/2018). From 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., the port served 10,083 travelers with 4,003 motorcycles, and 5,851 cars. It is predicted that the number will increase to more than 31,000 people, and more than 21,000 motorcycles.

CIREBON, KOMPAS – Three days ahead of Idul Fitri, 13 million out of the estimated 19.5 million holidaymakers expected to join this year’s mudik (exodus) have reached their hometowns. Nevertheless, the government and the police were still continuing to monitor holiday traffic across the nation, according to Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, who made the statement on Tuesday (12/6/2018) during his inspection visit to Harjamukti Terminal in Cirebon, West Java.

“In general, no severe congestion has occurred up to the third day before Idul Fitri. This year, holidaymakers have reached their hometowns faster, the traffic density is lower and there have been fewer traffic accidents,” said Budi.

Kompas observed traffic snarls at 11 p.m. on Tuesday along the Jakarta-Cikampek, where traffic was backed up for 8 kilometers, as well as on the Cikunir-West Bekasi and East Bekasi-Cikarang intercity toll roads, and at the Cikarang tollgate.

The Transportation Ministry predicted that the first peak of the homebound travel would occur on June 9 and that the second peak would occur on June 13. National Idul Fitri Integrated Transportation Post head Junaidi said that the possibility of a second peak remained.

On June 9, the sixth day before Idul Fitri, 214,298 vehicles left Jakarta on toll roads and 105,598 vehicles left the capital on national roads. The figures are expected to increase on the third and second days before Idul Fitri. “If traffic backs up, we will use the opposing lanes,” said Junaidi.

At 2 p.m. on Tuesday, the third day before Idul Fitri, state toll road operator PT Jasa Marga recorded that 1,093,936 vehicles had departed from Jakarta. The land transportation directorate general also recorded that 524,068 private vehicles had left the city.

Accidents

Two PT Lintas Marga Sedaya patrol officers, Fahmi Hasyim, 26, and Rustiana, 44, were killed on Tuesday when they were hit by a sedan as they were towing a broken-down car at Kilometer 126.20 on the Cikopo-Palimanan toll road in Indramayu, West Java.

The sedan, with license plate number B 1192 EVC and driven by Abdullah Martoha, 21, a resident of Depok in West Java, was speeding from Jakarta toward Palimanan in Cirebon when it swerved and hit Fahmi and Rustiana, who were standing on the roadside.

“It was alleged that the sedan driver was sleeping at the wheel when the car hit the toll road officers,” Indramayu Police traffic unit chief Adj. Comr. Asep Nugraha.

Fahmi was a resident of Jatiwangi district, Majalengka regency, while Rustiana was a resident of Cibeureum district, Tasikmalaya regency.

THOMDEAN

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Data from the Transportation Ministry’s research and development post showed that 11 traffic accidents had occurred from the eighth to fifth days before Idul Fitri along the mudik routes on toll roads and national roads. Five people were killed and 32 were injured in the accidents.

National Police chief operational assistant Insp. Gen. Deden Juhara said that this year’s mudik saw far fewer traffic accidents than last year. The National Police traffic unit’s 2017 mudik data showed that 3,168 traffic accidents had occurred with more than 742 casualties. More than 70 percent of the dead victims had been riding motorcycles. “The extended holiday means holidaymakers are more relaxed. This is different from last year, when the holiday was only three days long,” he said.

Motorists’ behavior

Institute for Transportation Study (Instran) researcher Dedy Herlambang said that this year’s mudik traffic was different from last year’s. This year, the extended holiday was longer and the direct intercity toll road connecting Jakarta and Surabaya was open, which significantly reduced the traffic density in the days leading up to Idul Fitri.

It was unsurprising that the holiday traffic had been relatively smooth, and as a result, it was more difficult to determine when the holiday traffic had peaked. The motorists’ behavior had also changed, as they had become smarter in reading and anticipating traffic conditions.

“They have plenty of experience from the Brexit incident in 2016. Many were not overenthusiastic about the opening of the Jakarta-Surabaya toll road,” said Dedy.

Nevertheless, Dedy said that relevant parties should anticipate potential traffic jams ahead of Idul Fitri. Holidaymakers on motorcycles must be prioritized, as approximately 50 percent of motorcyclists had left Greater Jakarta up to the fourth day before Idul Fitri.

“As for the return journey, we expect it to be relatively smooth and spread out. This is considering that schools are on holiday and some holidaymakers will be extending their holidays until after the Idul Fitri collective leave,” he explained.

(SEM/IKI/KRN/ODY/E18/E06/E08/E03/E12/HEN)