The volume of homecoming traffic is getting denser, beware of bad weather

The homecoming flow became more intense on Saturday (6/4/2024). The forecast for heavy rain at various points must be watched out for.

KOMPAS/ADRYAN YOGA PARAMADWYA

A queue of vehicles enters the Cikampek Utama Toll Gate heading towards Palimanan in Karawang, West Java, Friday (5/4/2024). The contraflow policy has begun to be implemented on the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road kilometers 47 to 70 to reduce the increase in traffic volume during the Eid 2024 homecoming flow. Traffic flow starts to get heavy after breaking the fast.

BEKASI, KOMPAS — Homecomers began leaving Jakarta and its surroundings on Friday (5/4/2024) after working hours ended. The flow of traffic towards the toll road towards Central Java and Merak Harbor is starting to get busy.

Traffic conditions ahead of the peak mudik flow, Friday (5/4/2024), on the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road were observed to be busy smoothly until 21.00. The counter-flow policy which was planned to be implemented starting at 14.00 was postponed, until it was finally implemented at 19.00 at certain points.

The community is urged to avoid peak hours, namely after breaking fast and before dawn. From Wednesday (3/4/2024) to Thursday (4/4/2024), Jasa Marga recorded a total of 322,892 vehicles leaving the Jabotabek area.

Between 12:00-3:00 PM, the flow of vehicles from Jakarta towards the east is smooth. On the Jakarta Inner Ring Road from Slipi to Cawang, cars are still able to travel at speeds of 50-60 kilometers (km) per hour. Traffic congestion is also not yet visible on the Muhammad Bin Zayed Elevated Toll Road, which is located at the border of Cikunir, Bekasi and Cikampek, West Java.

Reflecting on these conditions, the police have postponed the implementation of contra flow and one way roads. Initially, this system was to be implemented at 14.00 from the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road to the Kalikangkung-Semarang toll road.

Also read: Vehicle Density at Merak Harbor Begins to Become Visible

Congestion started to appear at 18.30. Twenty minutes later, the police finally implemented contra flow at Km 47 to Km 70. Meanwhile, on the Cikopo-Palimanan (Cipali) toll road, contra flow began to be implemented at Km 162 to Km 169.

As of 21.50, one-way traffic is implemented at Km 72 Cipali Toll Road to Km 414 Semarang-Batang Toll Road. Officers are preparing a one-way system on the Cipali Toll Road by directing vehicles heading to Jakarta to exit at the nearest toll gate and head to the arterial road.

The one-way system will be applied situationally. "We have already calculated and discussed with Jasa Marga. There has been an increase in vehicles from Jatiasih, Cawang, and Rorotan. The increase is above the designated perimeter. So, we decided to implement the one-way system," said Head of the Traffic Corps of the Indonesian National Police, Aan Suhanan.

KOMPAS/ADRYAN YOGA PARAMADWYA

A queue of vehicles enters the Cikampek Utama Toll Gate heading towards Palimanan in Karawang, West Java, Friday (5/4/2024). The contraflow policy has begun to be implemented on the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road kilometers 47 to 70 to reduce the increase in traffic volume during the Eid 2024 homecoming flow. Traffic flow starts to get heavy after breaking the fast.

Aan stated that the volume of vehicles on the Cipali Toll Road is already very high, namely above 5,000 vehicles per hour. Therefore, it was decided to implement a one-way system and will be evaluated situationally.

"The implementation of restrictions on freight transportation will still be enforced. Our analysis shows that after dinner time, the road conditions will start to become crowded," he said.

Monitoring at Merak

The traffic engineering implemented by the government and a number of transportation service providers has been quite effective in avoiding traffic congestion during the exodus to Pelabuhan Merak, Banten. Despite the long queue of vehicles, cars can board the ferry without having to wait in line for more than two hours.

This was visible until 8:00 pm on Friday (5/4/2024). The queue of vehicles was seen at the entrance to Merak Port's dock. However, the queue did not extend to the arterial road. Officers were seen directing vehicles at several points. They opened and closed gates at the ticket purchasing area to regulate the alternating entry of vehicles towards the ship.

Also read: Homecoming Flows Begin to Be Seen in Cikampek

Tasman (48), one of the travelers, stated that his journey was smooth from Tangerang Selatan to Pelabuhan Merak. He and his family used their private car to head to Padang, West Sumatra. He departed from Tangerang Selatan at 5pm and arrived at Pelabuhan Merak at 7pm.

"There was no traffic jam earlier. "The road conditions are better than last year's homecoming," he said.

During the interview, the car carrying Tasman arrived at the entrance to the dock to queue for tickets. After a few seconds, the car slowly moved forward as the vehicle in front of it entered the dock immediately after getting the ticket.

Suhardiman (52), another traveler, said that the car he was driving had been queuing for an hour. He had reached the entrance to the ferry. "This is considered smooth compared to last year," he said.

Train travelers

The availability of trains and free public transportation services provided by the government on the Jakarta-Merak homecoming route is also felt to be beneficial by residents. They choose to take the train to get cheaper tickets, even though the journey is longer. This also helps alleviate congestion among homecoming travelers at Merak Port.

According to Kompas’ observation, the train route from Jakarta to Rangkasbitung Station runs smoothly. When transiting at Rangkasbitung Station, passengers can purchase train tickets to Cilegon Station through the ticket counter or KAI Access application.

Also read: Adjustment of KRL, Airport Train and Merak Local Train Services During Eid

Although many people from Jabodetabek who are going on the mudik (annual exodus) transit at Rangkasbitung Station, there is no significant congestion there. The travelers wait in seats and tents provided in the station courtyard. There is no passenger buildup.

"Perhaps the passengers have already purchased tickets through an application. So their arrival is in accordance with the schedule," said Asep Supriadi (39), an officer at Rangkasbitung Station.

Meanwhile, the presence of tropical cyclone seeds has been detected and has the potential to trigger moderate to heavy rainfall in several regions in Indonesia until April 11, 2024. According to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, the affected areas include West Sumatra, Jambi, Bengkulu, South Sumatra, Lampung, Banten, all provinces in Java, Nusa Tenggara, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku, and part of Papua.

Also read: Purchase Mandatory ASDP Crossing Tickets "Online", Reduce Queues at the Port