Holidaymakers flocks Bandung

Holidaymakers began crowding the main streets of Bandung, West Java, on Thursday afternoon after polls for the legislative elections closed at noon.

Antara news agency reported a kilometer-long tailback at the Pasteur toll gate.

Turnpike official Gugum Hermawan predicted traffic congestion in the area would get worse later in the afternoon, with a tailback of more than 5 kilometers.

“Although it's voting day, it's also a public holiday and part of the long weekend until Sunday. We’d predicted this and have prepared for it,” he said.

Bandung, a two-hour drive from the capital, is notorious for being crowded during weekends, being a favorite destination for residents of Jakarta seeking a weekend away from the capital. (dre)