Terminals and arterial roads are starting to get busy

Bus terminals and arterial roads are starting to be busy with returning travelers.

RAYNARD KRISTIAN BONANIO PARDEDE

The atmosphere of travelers returning from their hometowns at the Pulo Gebang Integrated Terminal, East Jakarta, Sunday (14/4/2024).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Thousands of travelers are starting to crowd the Pulo Gebang Integrated Terminal, East Jakarta and Kalideres Terminal, West Jakarta at the peak of backflow, Sunday (14/4/2024). The DKI Jakarta Transportation Department has also prepared Transjakarta buses at night to take travelers into the city.

The management of Pulo Gebang Terminal and Kalideres each estimate that 5,000–6,000 people will arrive every day, from Monday (15/4/2024) to Tuesday (16/4/2024). The majority of these travelers arrive in the early hours of the morning.

The Head of the Pulo Gebang Integrated Terminal Implementation Unit, Hendra Kurniawan, explained that the majority of Eid travelers usually arrive between 2:00-5:00 AM. Intercity buses constantly enter the departure area.

To assist the community in reaching the city, the Jakarta Transportation Agency is providing five Transjakarta bus units. The destinations are Kalideres, Senen, Pasar Minggu, Kampung Rambutan, and Pulo Gadung.

Also read: Thousands of Homecomers Arrive Early Morning, Transjakarta Buses Prepared

Based on passenger data from Sunday from 02:00-14:00, a total of 2,948 travelers have arrived at the Pulo Gebang Terminal. This figure has increased from Saturday's record (April 13th) of 2,232 travelers.

The majority of the homecoming travelers arriving come from various regions in Central Java. The peak of the return flow towards this terminal is predicted to occur for the next two days, with a daily number of passengers ranging from 4,000 to 5,000 people.

"This terminal is located in the border area of Jakarta-Bekasi (West Java), so we provide buses to transport passengers to the city. Considering that the majority of passengers arrive early in the morning, it may be difficult to find affordable transportation," said Hendra.

Also read: The Fun of Exploring the City of Jakarta by Tour Bus

RAYNARD KRISTIAN BONANIO PARDEDE

The atmosphere of travelers returning from their hometowns at Kalideres Terminal, West Jakarta, Sunday (14/4/2024).

Meanwhile, thousands of homecoming travelers have also started arriving at the Kalideres Terminal, West Jakarta. The head of Kalideres Terminal, Revi Zulkarnaen, explained that the peak of the return flow towards the terminal is estimated to occur on Monday and Tuesday. They predict that the number of passengers arriving will reach around 5,000-6,000 people per day.

Based on data from Saturday until Sunday at 2pm, the number of passengers arriving at Kalideres Terminal was recorded at 3,316 people. The majority of travelers will arrive between 12am to 6am.

Also read: Pilu and Laughter Behind the Sensation of Peak "Tourist Traffic Jams"

The Jakarta Transportation Agency provides 15 Transjakarta bus units to transport passengers into the city. One of the served routes is from Kalideres to Monas area in Central Jakarta.

Bekasi is busy

In Bekasi City, an increase in the number of vehicles was seen at the West Bekasi Toll exit. Hundreds of private vehicles, buses and trucks were seen leaving the toll road more than entering. Even though there are a lot of vehicles, this condition does not cause congestion on Jalan Ahmad Yani which stretches after the toll exit.

Density can also be seen in Bulak Kapal, a coastal route in Bekasi City. Motorcyclists dominate the arterial road towards the center of Bekasi City and Jakarta. Despite being very dense, there is no significant traffic congestion in the vicinity of Bulak Kapal.

KOMPAS/SUCIPTO

Motorbikes dominate the streets of Kalimalang, Bekasi City, West Java, Sunday (14/4/2024).

"We predict that our traffic peak will start from tonight," said the Head of the Traffic Unit of Metro Bekasi City Police, Adjunct Commissioner Yugi Bayu Hendarto.

The prediction was issued by looking at the increase in the number of vehicles recorded by the Metro Bekasi District Police at two monitoring points, namely on Ahmad Yani Street and the Mega Bekasi Hypermall Service Post.

Until 4:00 PM, 16,946 motorcycles have passed through. That number is still much smaller compared to Saturday (4/13/2024), which was as many as 38,847 motorcycles.

Also read: The peak of return flow in Bekasi City is predicted to be April 14 evening

Meanwhile, the number of cars passing by has exceeded the previous day. As of Sunday at 4:00 PM, a total of 37,290 cars have passed. On Saturday, the number of cars passing was 36,556 units.

An increase also occurred in buses, which amounted to 385 units. The day before, during a 24-hour period, the number of passing buses was 325 units.

Yugi stated that the increase in the number of vehicles on the arterial roads of Bekasi City has been observed since Saturday night. However, according to him, there hasn't been any significant congestion that has caused traffic jams on the arterial roads yet. The traffic flow is still relatively smooth.

Current diversion

To anticipate the peak of the homecoming traffic on Sunday night, the police will alleviate congestion by diverting some vehicles from the Pantura route to Kalimalang Road.

"Our members on duty at the security post will carry out current withdrawals," said Yugi.

Also read: More than half of travelers have not returned to Jakarta

He said that 118 personnel are on standby at seven security and service posts. The team will be on duty until Tuesday (16/4). The deployment of the team will be extended if necessary based on the conditions in the field.

One of the motorbike pilgrims, Dede Hermawan (41), said that he did not encounter any traffic congestion during his journey from Cirebon to Bekasi City.