akarta Police are preparing several arrangements to reroute the capital’s traffic in anticipation of heightened gridlock around venues likely to be used by Islamic hard-line protesters, who are planning to stage a rally to demand Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama be prosecuted for alleged religious defamation this Nov. 4.
“The traffic diversion will depend on the situation. The protesters will likely stage the demonstration at the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) office, City Hall and the State Palace,” traffic police law enforcement unit head Adj. Sr. Comr. Budiyanto said Tuesday.
Bareskrim’s office is located on Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur, while City Hall is on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan and the State Palace on Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara, all of which are in Central Jakarta.
If the rally is staged at Bareskrim’s office, vehicles heading to Jl. Medan Merdeka Timur from Jl. Gajah Mada, Jl. Kebon Sirih, and Jl. Budi Kemuliaan will be diverted to Jl. Cikini Raya and Jl. Thamrin.
Should the rally be conducted at City Hall, vehicles from Jl. Gunung Sahari and Jl. Veteran Raya will be rerouted to Jl. Cikini Raya, while vehicles from Jl. Budi Kemuliaan will be switched to Jl. Thamrin and Jl. Medan Merdeka Barat.
Meanwhile, if demonstrations take place at the State Palace, vehicles from Jl. Gajah Mada will be diverted to Jl. Juanda or Jl. Pejambon. Traffic from Jl. Budi Kemuliaan will have to make a detour through Jl. Majapahit, while traffic from Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan will have to use Jl. Thamrin or Jl. Ridwan Rais. (adt/dmr)
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