As "Mudik" Approaches

KOMPAS/P RADITYA MAHENDRA YASA

A stream of passengers disembarks the KM Dharma Rucitra 9 on Wednesday (29/5/2019) at Tanjung Emas Port in Semarang, Central Java. Travelers from several Kalimantan regions, including Kumai, Sampit and Pontianak, have begun arriving at the port as they head to hometowns in Central Java.

We will all celebrate Lebaran (Idul Fitri) in less than a week to mark the end of the Ramadan fasting month. Heading towards the holiday, millions of people have started going back to their hometowns.

For the Indonesian Muslim community, Idul Fitri is identical with returning to grace. In terms of human relations, this manifests in brotherhood, meeting with friends, doing good that transcends, and forgiving each other.

From year to year, the mudik (exodus) that occurs ahead of Lebaran involves the mobility of a great number of people using all modes of transportation on land, on the sea and in the air, from motorcycles to trains and from ships to airplanes.

The Transportation Ministry has projected that the total number of travelers during this season will increase from 21.6 million in 2018 to 23 million this year, of which 14.9 million travelers will depart from Jakarta and its surrounding areas. The movement of so many people, nearly at the same time, demands careful management of transportation.

The Transportation Ministry, as the primary coordinator of the mudik travel season, has been planning anticipatory measures for the mudik travel season. It has prepared a variety of methods, from the implementation of a one-way traffic control system on the toll road from Cikampek to Brebes in Central Java, to free services for transporting motorcycles by train, and to providing incentives for ferry rates from Banten’s Merak Port to Lampung’s Bakauheni Port.

This has attracted travelers on land. Moreover, airplane tickets are relatively expensive for some people, so traveling by land has become a viable alternative.

What distinguishes this year’s mudik is that the Trans-Java toll road, spanning Java from east to west, and that toll roads on Sumatra from Bakauheni, Lampung, to Palembang, South Sumatra, are open. This has attracted travelers on land. Moreover, airplane tickets are relatively expensive for some people, so traveling by land has become a viable alternative.

As forecast, the number of outbound travelers from Jakarta and its surrounding areas that are using the Trans-Java toll road has increased occurred since early Thursday. We appreciate the attentiveness of the traffic officers who opened the one-way system one hour earlier than planned, due to a sudden jump in the number of vehicles entering the toll road.

With travelers heading out gradually for the upcoming holiday, we do expect there to be any severe congestion. Likewise, the reduced ticket prices for daytime ferries at Merak Port is also expected to lessen the probability of Sumatra-bound ferry passengers forming long queues, which usually happens at night.

What still need attention are motorcyclists. The intention to get to their destinations as fast as possible frequently causes drivers to ignore safety.

It is therefore important to ensure the adequate availability of rest areas, ambulances, hospitals and health workers on standby, coordination between traffic control officers, and the availability of facilities to meet travelers’ every need, from ATMs to gas stations.

If everything is coordinated well in the field, we can expect all land travelers to use the roads responsibly so that everyone can get home safely and in comfort.