Pay Attention to Return Travel at Night

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The volume of post-Lebaran return travel is predicted to be heavier than the mudik (exodus) travel due to the short time span. Attention will be given at density during the night.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The Transportation Ministry and the National Police have predicted that the volume of vehicles during the post-Lebaran return flow would be double that during mudik (exodus) travel because the time span was only three days. The habit of traveling during the night will be monitored by the government because it can trigger congestion. A number of traffic engineering schemes have been prepared.

Budi Setyadi, land transportation director general at the Transportation Ministry, said that during the seventh and second day before Idul Fitri, it was discovered that travelers tended to depart from Jakarta during the night. This triggered overcrowding at the toll road rest stops, such as at Kilometer Marker (KM) 19 and KM 57 on the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road.

"From the evaluation results, travelers tend to depart at night. Traffic density was seen on the fifth to the fourth day before Idul Fitri during the mudik travel period. I do not have any idea as to why travelers choose to depart at night, even though morning traffic is facilitated by a one-way control system," said Budi Setyadi, Thursday (6/6/2019).

Budi said, because of the tendency to depart at night, many travelers were exhausted in the middle of the trip. They took breaks at a number of rest stops, thereby causing all rest areas to be full. Because of that, during the return flow, Budi urged travelers to depart early in the morning so they would not get stuck in traffic at night.

National Police Traffic Corps chief Insp. Gen. Refdi Andri disclosed that the density of the return flow could be more than double the flow of mudik travel because the time span for the return travel would be only three days, namely on June 7-9.

The time span for the return travel would be only three days, namely on June 7-9.

During the mudik travel, people had seven days. "Preparation to face [return flow] is very important," Refdi Andri said while visiting Palimanan toll gate, Cirebon, West Java, on Thursday afternoon.

According to Refdi, on the mudik flow, the traffic volume to the east, south and west directions on the toll roads reached 1.5 million vehicles.

"This number increased 15 percent compared to the same period last year," he said.

Kalikangkung toll gate

In the mudik flow, the many vehicles were divided in a span of seven days. However, the return flow will be concentrated within three days, before most people return to work on Monday (10/6).

Therefore, according to Refdi, the police had prepared traffic engineering measures in the form of a one-way control system starting from Kilometer Marker (KM) 414 Kalikangkung toll gate, Semarang, and ending at KM 70 in Cikampek.

In addition to the one-way system, the government has prepared a strategy to install traffic signs before rest stops, add portable toilets, place tow trucks near type A rest areas. A 24-hour information system is also carried out with the addition of mobile readers in Palimanan toll gate.

The one-way system is applied starting from Kilometer Marker (KM) 414 at Kalikangkung toll gate to KM 70 Cikampek main toll gate, June 7-10, 2019, from noon to midnight. Later, this system will be implemented more quickly if a traffic overcrowding is found.

To avoid overcrowding, state-owned toll road management company Jasa Marga, along with other toll road business entities, has discounted toll rates of 15 percent on June 10-12, 2019. The discount is expected to attract the public to return to Jakarta outside the peak of the mudik travel season.

Between the seventh and one day before Lebaran or May 29 to June 4, 2019, Jasa Marga recorded 1,216,859 vehicles leaving Jakarta via toll roads in three directions, namely the east, west and south. Of the number, around 57 percent of them left Jakarta to the east direction through the Cikampek main toll gate and Kalihurip main toll gate.

On Wednesday night, traffic jams for vehicles from Jakarta to the east still occurred at the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road section. From Cikunir to Cikampek, which is about 60 kilometers, it took four hours or an average vehicle speed of 17 kilometers per hour. Congestion was allegedly triggered by the queues of vehicles around rest areas at Kilometer Marker (KM) 33 and KM 39.

Alternative routes

To avoid overcrowding on toll roads, travelers can use alternative routes. In addition to the northern coastal highway (Pantura) of Java, alternative routes that can be used is the Bandung-Cirebon middle lane, West Java.

This route passes through Cirebon, Majalengka, Sumedang, and Bandung regencies. The line is relatively deserted during the mudik travel season.

( DIV/ HRS/ IKI/ SKA/ TAM/DIT/ RAM/AIN/ IAM/ FRD)

Editor:

haryodamardono

Jasa Marga Palimanan lebaran kalikangkung toll