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.
Thousands leave Greater Jakarta during Nyepi holiday
The country enjoyed a long holiday as the Balinese Hindu Day of Silence (Nyepi) fell on Monday this year, encouraging thousands to go on vacation during the long weekend.
Change Size
A section of Jakarta-Cikampek toll road in Karawang, West Java sees a high volume of vehicles on Dec. 23, 2023, which authorities estimated to be the peak of the 2023 year-end holiday travel. State-owned toll road operator Jasa Marga recorded a 23 percent increase in vehicles during the holiday season. (Antara/Fakhri Hermansyah)
T
housands of people living in the Greater Jakarta area went on vacation during the weekend that preceded Nyepi (Balinese Hindu Day of Silence), which fell on Monday this year.
State-owned toll road operator Jasa Marga reported that over 520,000 vehicles departed from Greater Jakarta during the weekend before Nyepi.
Jasa Marga recorded traffic intensity in its four primary toll gates around the Greater Jakarta area, including the Merak-bound Cikupa toll gate, the Puncak-bound Ciawi toll gate, the Trans Java-bound Cikampek Utama toll gate and the Bandung-bound Kalihurip Utama toll gate.
"The total number of vehicles leaving the Greater Jakarta area increased by 24.12 percent compared to the average volume during regular days," said Jasa Marga corporate communication and community development group head Lisye Octaviana on Monday.
Lisye said most Greater Jakarta residents that left their homes ahead of Nyepi headed east to Bandung and other cities linked to the Trans Jawa toll road.
Considering the increased traffic volume during the long weekend and early days of Ramadan, Lisye suggested that people keep their vehicles in good condition and follow traffic regulations.
On Nyepi, Balinese Hindus stay in silence at home, and it is considered a breach of customs for people to leave their homes or turn on electricity. Flights to and from the province are suspended during the day.
The holiday traffic in the Greater Jakarta area was more intense this year because some government institutions and private companies established Tuesday as a collective leave day so that employees could extend their holidays and come back to the office on Wednesday.
