Smooth \'Mudik\' Traffic

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

The Colomadu toll road intersection in Denggungan village, Banyudono district, Boyolali regency, Central Java, is deserted on Tuesday (12/6/2018) evening. The intersection links the Salatiga-Colomadu and Colomadu-Ngawi toll road projects. The Salatiga-Colomadu toll gates are only open from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., while the Colomadu-Ngawi toll road gates are open for 24 hours.

At least up to three days before the Lebaran festivities on Tuesday (12/6/2018), reports about the mudik (exodus) traffic on this day was dominated the news that there was no severe traffic congestion.

There were also no reports about serious automobile accidents, which have been a common feature in the media during the mudik season. Even though there was an increasing number of motorists, especially from the direction of Jakarta to many areas in Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java and West Java, as well as from other islands to Java, the story that has appeared is a smooth journey to people\'s respective hometowns.

This is in contrast to previous years when mudik traffic was always colored by congestion and fatal accidents. This daily in its Lebaran coverage in 2015, for example, ran the news with the title "Due to problematic road worthiness, Rukun Sayur bus accident kills 12 passengers" (Kompas, 15/7/2015). Even in the news in 2014, during mudik and the subsequent influx to major cities, it was reported that 515 people died during the trips, and the quality of public services related to transportation was still low (Kompas, 3/8/2014).

There are various factors that make mudik traffic this year seem smoother, despite "disappointment" appearing on social media by a number of netizens because they no longer felt traffic congestion was the same as the usual mudik traffic. Better planning (Kompas, 3/7/2017), such as the evaluation of Lebaran transportation last year, was the key to smooth mudik traffic.

Moreover, increasingly diverse and low-cost transportation choices, such as by air, sea and land, lowers the potential for traffic to build up. Motorcyclists took advantage of a free ferry ride, provided by the government, so that there iwa no need for them to become exhausted on the streets and face the potential of accidents.

In previous years\' mudik, one of the causes of fatal traffic accidents was motorcyclists\' fatigue. There were still vehicle accidents in this year\'s mudik, but they were much more manageable.

The important policy that facilitated this year\'s mudik was infrastructure development, especially toll roads in Java. The Public Works and Housing Ministry noted that a 568-kilometer toll road was built from 2015 until the end of 2017. In 2018, another 615 km of new toll roads are targeted to be built, thereby making transportation on roads smoother.

This year, too, the government made a policy to make the Lebaran holiday fall earlier, June 9 to 20, so that the public, especially civil servants, have more choices in days to start their mudik. Motorists no longer have only one or two days before Idul Fitri to travel.

If mudik traffic can continue to be smooth, other heavier challenges will be in the influx of those returning to cities. Residents are expected to return to Jakarta and other major cities at the end of the holiday. The return time is not long, and traffic congestion may occur, so the government and its staff must anticipate these factors.