T

wo weeks before Idul Fitri, the National Police are preparing measures to ensure the safety of millions who plan to join the annual holiday exodus.

National Police Traffic Police chief Insp. Gen. Condro Kirono said on Friday that the force would set up checkpoints on routes used by travelers as part of measures to minimize deadly traffic accidents.

Police personnel deployed to monitor the holiday exodus, Condro said, would ask travelers, especially motorcyclists, to use the checkpoints.

'€œAlthough the government has already advised people against driving motorcycles to their hometowns, the National Police will set up four checkpoints on Java'€™s northern coastal highway,'€ he said.

He added that it would be compulsory for motorcyclists to go through the checkpoints, where repair garages, clinics and route guides would be offered free of charge.

The Transportation Ministry estimates the number of homeward-bound travelers using public transportation, including air carriers, sea transportation, road transportation and trains, to reach around 20 million during this year'€™s Idul Fitri, a 2 percent increase from the 17.4 million people recorded last year.

The number of travelers using private cars and motorcycles along the northern coastal highway (Pantura) is estimated to reach 4.2 million this year, up 7.5 percent from last year.

During last year'€™s Idul Fitri holiday, the National Police recorded 3,057 traffic accidents between July 22 and Aug. 6, with Pantura seeing the most accidents at 232 cases.

At least 650 people died in road accidents during last year'€™s holiday. Furthermore, 1,045 people experienced major injuries, while 4,030 people suffered minor injuries.

Condro said that this year, the traffic police would use technology to monitor the situation on the roads in real time.

'€œLast year we did almost everything manually and relied on people receiving traffic information from police stations. This year, however, we have already input some information into Google Maps, which will be accessible through NTMC [National Traffic Management Center] TV and the NTMC mobile application. Everything has been integrated with the National Police'€™s NTMC security cameras,'€ he said.

Meanwhile, Achmad Izzu Waro of the Jakarta Transportation Council (DTKJ) applauded the police'€™s establishment of mandatory check points for motorcyclists.

'€œThe checkpoints are a great way to encourage motorcyclists to get their vehicles serviced for free to ensure that they are in good shape. Furthermore, travelers can also rest to refresh themselves, reducing the likelihood of accidents,'€ he told The Jakarta Post.

The police force, Ahmad added, should pay close attention to the newly opened Cikopo-Palimanan (Cipali) toll road, which is expected to reduce traffic jams on Pantura during the Idul Fitri holiday, as it had seen 37 accidents since it opened on June 13.

'€œThis year, the police must monitor the Cipali toll road closely since it is a very long, straight stretch, something that is unusual in Indonesia, and almost 120 km long. People can easily lose concentration,'€ he said.