TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Minister promises even better Idul Fitri traffic next year
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has promised to continue to improve Idul Fitri traffic safety amid public praise over better planning for this year's annual exodus.
Change Size
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi (second left), along with the ministry’s secretary-general, Sugihardjo (left), inspects Maja railway station in Banten on July 2. (JP/rdi)
T
ransportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has promised to continue to improve Idul Fitri traffic safety amid public praise over better planning for this year's annual exodus.
The holiday exodus season, which peaked on Saturday and Sunday, took place relatively smoothly this year compared to last year's exodus, when hundreds of thousands of vehicles were stuck for days on the Brebes toll road in Central Java.
“We are very grateful that there was no serious traffic congestion. It means that there has been an improvement,” Budi told journalists in Banten on Sunday, adding that better coordination between stakeholders contributed to the smoother exodus traffic.
(Read also: Devoted travelers cheer in manageable exodus)
He, however, stressed that traffic safety remained a concern, as many operational buses remained unsafe. “The number [of buses] reaches 30 percent. This is dangerous for traffic,” he said.
Budi said his ministry had tried to warn the public not to ride buses that did not meet safety standards and urged them to take only those buses that were marked with roadworthiness stickers.
He added that the ministry had demanded law enforcement to investigate bus operators that still operated unroadworthy vehicles.
In trying to improve traffic safety, the government had also tried to reduce the number of people who rode motorcycles for their long journeys to their hometowns by offering more free bus and train services.
No data has yet been released on traffic accidents during the exodus season. The ministry, however, has noted that about 75 percent of traffic accidents involved motorcycles. (rdi/bbn)
