Mobility Not Limited, but Health Protocols Must be Maintained

The Transportation Ministry's Transportation Policy Agency, estimated 44.17 million people, or 16.35 percent of the population, plan to travel over the Christmas 2022-New Year 2023 holiday period.

FAKHRI FADLURROHMAN

Vehicle congestion on Jalan Gatot Subroto, South Jakarta, Thursday (12/15/2022) afternoon.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The government is not limiting public mobility over the holiday period between Christmas 2022 and New Year 2023. However, the movement of people using various modes of transportation must maintain health and safety priorities. Getting a booster jab is also required for domestic travel.

According to a survey by the Transportation Ministry's Transportation Policy Agency, an estimated 44.17 million people, or 16.35 percent of the population, plan to travel over the Christmas 2022-New Year 2023 holiday period. The movement of people will thus increase 3.35 percent from 2021, when around 35.7 million people, or 13 percent of the population, traveled over the year-end holiday.

The survey noted that private vehicles will dominate transportation use during the potential public mobility over the Christmas-New Year holiday period. A total of 12,479,897 people plan to use private cars, while 5,929,440 people will use intercity trains, 5,257,380 people will use buses, and 4,866,054 people will use airplanes. The remainder will use other modes of transportation.

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"In accordance with the instruction of the Transportation Minister, AP II is ensuring the readiness of 20 airports, and we all hope that transportation use over Christmas and New Year is safe, secure, comfortable, and healthy," Muhammad Awaluddin, president director of state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura (AP) II, said on Sunday (18 /12/2022).

Earlier last week, during an online media briefing related to transportation readiness over the Christmas 2022-New Year 2023 year-end holiday, Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said the upward trend in public mobility was concerning.

The government would not limit public mobility over the Christmas 2022 and New Year 2023 holidays, but given the national trend in COVID-19 transmissions, its implementation needed to be managed properly.

Moreover, the government was also paying attention to transportation management over Christmas and New Year, which coincided with the school holiday and increasing public mobility. Transportation management must continue to prioritize public health, safety, security, and comfort.

KOMPAS/HENDRA A SETYAWAN

Trucks pass on the Jakarta Outer Ring Road (JORR) section in the Pondok Pinang area, Jakarta, Thursday (12/15/2022). The Ministry of Transportation will prohibit trucks and other goods from crossing toll and non-toll roads during the 2022 Christmas and 2023 New Year holidays.

Toll road preparation

Separately, Atika Dara Prahita, the head of Jasa Marga’s Operation and Maintenance Management Group, said that the volume of outbound vehicles from Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi was predicted to increase to a total of 2.73 million between 18 Dec. 2022 and 4 Jan. 2023. Meanwhile, overall vehicle volume was projected to increase 8.4 percent compared to normal periods.

"The flow of traffic is predicted to peak on two days, namely on Sunday, 25 Dec. 2022, over the Christmas period and Sunday, 1 Jan. 2023, over the New Year period," she said.

According to Atika, increased traffic volume was expected at four main tollgates (GT), namely the Cikampek Utama Tollgate and the Kalihurip Utama Tollgate on the Trans-Java Toll Road headed towards Bandung, at the Ciawi Tollgate headed towards Puncak, and the Cikupa Tollgate headed towards Merak.

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She added that Jasa Marga was coordinating with the Transportation Minnistry and the National Police for maximized traffic engineering, especially on the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road that was predicted to experience high-density traffic. One lane would be added on the toll road from Kilometer Marker (KM) 50 to KM 67.

Jasa Marga also planned to regulate the operational hours of toll roads to limit traffic buildup. This would be applied to 17 toll road sections from 12 p.m. (noon) on 22 Dec. 2022 to 12 a.m. (midnight) on 24 Dec. 2022, and from noon on 25 Dec. 2022 to 8 a.m. on 26 Dec. 2022.

Meanwhile, toll road operational hours for the New Year holiday would be from midnight on 30 Dec. 2022 to noon on 31 Dec. 2022, and from noon on 1 Jan. 2023 to 8 a.m. on 2 Jan. 2023.

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Four-wheeled vehicles are lining up to enter the Port LInk III ferry motor boat (KMP) at the Bakauheni Port in South Lampung Regency, Lampung, Saturday (15/10/2022).

Ferries

Entering the seventh day before the Christmas 2022-New Year 2023 holiday period, passenger and vehicle ferries crossing from Merak Port in Cilegon, Banten, to Bakauheni Port in Lampung were reportedly crowded, though the crossings operated smoothly. According to data from the Merak Command Post as of 8 a.m. on 17-18 Dec. 2022., as many as 31 ferries were operating, up 15 percent compared to last year.

The number of ferry crossings had increased 24 percent to 105 trips, from 85 trips last year. Passenger numbers reached 37,902, up 15 percent compared to around 33,000 passengers last year.

Meanwhile, data from the Bakauheni Command Post recorded a 41 percent increase in ferry trips to 55 trips, from 39 trips last year. The number of foot passengers totaled 1,466, up 373 percent from 393 foot passengers last year. The number of travelers with vehicles reached as many as 15,400, an increase of 133 percent from 11,500 travelers last year.

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Christmas 2022 travel is estimated to peak on Friday-Saturday, 23-24 Dec. 2022.

"The characteristic is the same, even though the increase in transport services may not be as high as during Lebaran [this year]," Ferry Shelvy Arifin, corporate secretary of state-owned ferry operator ASDP Indonesia, said on Sunday.

The government’s Covid-19 Mitigation spokesman, Reisa Broto Asmoro, said over the weekend that one requirement for domestic travel was that travelers aged 18 years and above must have gotten their third-dose vaccination, or their first booster dose. Elderly people and health workers must have gotten their fourth dose, or their second booster dose.

Remember, we are facing a long holiday, when public activities will increase.

As of 15 Dec. 2022, as many as 67,777,641 people had received their third vaccine dose.

"Remember, we are facing a long holiday, when public activities will increase. So, we must prepare to face various new variants with vaccine-induced antibodies. It would be best to take advantage of the government’s free vaccine facility as soon as possible," Reisa said.

This article was translated by Hyginus Hardoyo.