Govt Anticipates Heavy Post-Idul Fitri Traffic

Name: Govt Anticipates Heavy Post-Idul Fitri Traffic
Uploaded: 2019-06-08T15:20:53Z
Duration: 20 min 32 s
Description: Post-holiday traffic heading toward Jakarta began to become congested on the Trans-Java toll road on Friday night, one day after Idul Fitri. The traffic is expected to peak this weekend. The government has made plans to anticipate heavy traffic on the Trans-Java toll road.

Post-holiday traffic heading toward Jakarta began to become congested on the Trans-Java toll road on Friday night, one day after Idul Fitri. The traffic is expected to peak this weekend. The government has made plans to anticipate heavy traffic on the Trans-Java toll road.

· 4 minutes read

CIKAMPEK, KOMPAS — Post-holiday traffic heading toward Jakarta began to become congested on the Trans-Java toll road on Friday night, one day after Idul Fitri. The traffic is expected to peak this weekend. The government has made plans to anticipate heavy traffic on the Trans-Java toll road.

On Friday night, traffic jams began at Cikampek Utama tollgate, among other locations. “I have been stuck here for one hour,” said Yedi Haryatna, 47, who was driving from Cirebon to Jakarta.

State toll road operator PT Jasa Marga data shows that 18,970 cars passed through Cikarang Utama tollgate toward Jakarta on Friday between 6 a.m. and 2 p.m, an increase from the 6,492 vehicles that passed through the tollgate during the same period on Thursday.

The number of vehicles passing through the Cikarang Utama tollgate on the first day after Idul Fitri was higher than the 16,732 vehicles that passed through the tollgate on first day of exodus traffic, seven days before Idul Fitri.

National Traffic Police Corps (Korlantas Polri) chief Insp. Gen. Refdi Andri said in Cikopo, West Java, on Friday that he predicted the post Idul Fitri traffic would peak this weekend. During the exodus period, around 1.5 million cars left Jakarta over seven days, while return journeys are expected to be made over only three days.

To anticipate traffic congestion on the Trans-Java toll road, Korlantas Polri and the Transportation Ministry have prepared a number of measures, such as implementing a one-way traffic control system, managing rest area usage, monitoring vehicle speed and allowing travelers to enter the Palimanan tollgate free of charge.

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said that the time travelers spent at rest areas must be regulated, as this had been a major cause of traffic jams in the past. “I urge travelers to not stop at rest areas unless they really need to,” Budi Karya said at the Cikampek Utama toll gate in West Java.

Rest areas will be temporarily closed to anticipate traffic jams.

Other than regulating the use of rest areas, Budi Karya said that travelers would be allowed to go through Palimanan tollgate without paying if the traffic backup reached 3 kilometers. This is to prevent longer traffic queues. Budi Karya said he would issue a circular to relevant agencies, including toll road operators.

Refdi said that vehicle speed monitoring would also be strengthened on the Trans-Java toll road. He said that he had suggested vehicle speed heading to Jakarta be limited to 80-120 km per hour.

“Whoever drives their car above 120 km per hour will face consequences. The same will be applied to those driving below 80 km per hour as they will potentially slow down traffic,” Refdi said.

For traffic engineering, Korlantas Polri will implement a one-way system from Kilometer Marker (KM) 414 in Kalikangkung tollgate, Semarang, to KM 70 at Cikampek Utama tollgate. The system will be in place from June 7 to 10 from noon to midnight. The system may be in place earlier in the day or be extended past midnight, depending on the situation in the field.

Transportation Ministry Land Transportation Director General Budi Setiyadi said that the one-way system was a dependable mechanism. He said that traffic would also be diverted from the toll roads to regular roads if vehicle volume became too overwhelming. The Palimanan toll road will be used as an indicator for deciding whether to implement a traffic diversion. If the traffic becomes too heavy on the toll road, incoming vehicles will be diverted toward Plumbon or Cirebon.

Bus companies have issued complaints about the one-way system from KM 414 to KM 70. Indonesian Young Bus Employers Association (IPOMI) chair Kurnia Lesani Adnan said that there were delays of 3 to 5 hours to the departure schedule of buses from Jakarta to Central Java and East Java during the exodus travel period last week. “We predict similar delays with this system in place,” he said.

Ship runs aground

A vessel, Mutiara Persada II, carrying 308 passengers from Merak Harbor in Cilegon Banten, ran aground while docking at Bakauheni Harbor in Lampung on Friday at 4:45 a.m. As of Friday evening, the vessel had yet to be pulled toward the dock. Passengers have demanded that the evacuation process be accelerated. No casualties have been reported.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) urged everyone to be careful of bad weather during the post-Idul Fitri travel period from June 7 to 10. Heavy rainfall and high waves are expected to occur in several locations. BMKG deputy of meteorology, Mulyono R Prabowo, delivered the warning on Friday.

(SKA/DIV/FRD/HRS/TAM/AIN/TAN/DIT/MET/XTI/RTG/BAY/DVD/CIP)

Editor:

Jasa Marga Idul Fitri cikampek post-holiday traffic