City: More people make the journey home this year

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The Jakarta administration stated that more than 5.6 million people made the trip home the week leading up to the Idul Fitri holidays this year, an increase from last year’s number. Idul Fitri marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadhan.

Purba Hutapea, the city head for the Population and Civil Registration Agency, said that his office recorded a total of 5,653,487 people leaving the city during the week before the holidays, which fell on
Sunday and Monday.

“We saw a higher number of people leaving this year,” Purba said on Tuesday. Last year, the agency recorded a total of 5,116,368 people making the exodus during the same period. The data was compiled from records collected at monitoring posts in bus terminals, train stations, toll gates, sea ports and air ports,
he said.

For the monitoring, the agency cooperated with the Transportation Agency and the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).

The agency data showed that a total of 429,606 people used airplanes in the exodus, while 411,855 used buses, 323,201 used trains, and 13,473 boarded ships.

“Most of the homebound travelers used their own cars and motorcycles,” Purba said, adding that there were a total of 837,902 cars and 759,159 motorcycles seen leaving the capital.

Mateta Rizalulhaq, spokesman for state train operator KAI Greater Jakarta Operational Area, said that the total number of people in the exodus will become higher. “We are still seeing people leaving today,” Mateta said separately on Tuesday.

The spokesman said that although the daily numbers would sharply decrease, exodus trips were expected to last until Sunday.

“Meanwhile, the situation will turn into full influx mode in the coming days. We have recorded an increase in inbound numbers,” Mateta said.

Authorities designated the holiday season as beginning 10 to seven days before the holidays and ended 10 to seven days after.

Last year, data for the whole holiday season showed a total of 6.31 million people made the journey home. The bulk of them, more than 4.95 million, made the trip in private vehicles, while only 2.28 million used public transportation.

The Jakarta administration had predicted a 9.62 percent increase in this year’s exodus numbers.

The city expects to see a total of 7.12 million people, out of the the city’s current population of more than 10.1 million, to make the exodus trip.

The numbers of those using public transportation will decrease to 1.39 million people, while the number of private vehicle users will increase to 5.93 million.

The Jakarta Police said on Tuesday that 152 traffic accidents had taken place between Aug. 11 to Aug. 21, claiming 19 lives and causing 48 people to sustain severe injuries, while 156 others sustained minor injuries.

The Jakarta Police traffic’s directorate chief of operations, Adj. Sr. Comr. Budiyanto, said that motorcycles topped the accident list at 150, followed by 59 private cars, 25 trucks, and 23 public vehicles. “Total material losses due to the accidents are around Rp 546.42 million [US$58,130],” Budiyanto said.

From Aug. 11 to Aug. 16, Jakarta Police ran “Operation Ketupat Jaya” to ensure the safety of travelers during the exodus period. (aml)