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Extreme 'mudik' congestion clogs Merak Port
Authorities are attempting to untangle the kilometers-long snarl of vehicles that has formed on the road to the key seaport in Banten as millions of people try to reach their hometowns on Sumatra to celebrate Idul Fitri with the families.
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Thousands of motorcyclists wait to board a ferry on April 7, 2024 at Ciwandan Port in Cilegon, Banten, to cross the Sunda Strait and reach their hometowns for the Idul Fitri holiday. (AFP/Dziki Oktomauliyadi)
T
he Port of Merak, a major transportation and ferriage hub between Java and Sumatra, has been seeing a significant surge in travelers in the days leading up to Idul Fitri.
This resulted in a massive traffic jam that reportedly spanned more than 10 kilometers, which prompted the Transportation Ministry to step in and formulate measures to alleviate congestion at the port in Banten province.
"[The congestion at] Merak needs more focused handling [...] I’ve talked with the transportation minister and every solution is being pursued," President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said on Monday during an inspection visit to Pasar Senen Station in Central Jakarta, as quoted by news portal Detik.com.
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said the extreme congestion at Merak Port was primarily due to travelers without tickets arriving much earlier than the scheduled departure time of the ferries they aimed to take.
Consequently, a long line of travelers and vehicles had built up, extending several kilometers from the port.
"There was congestion spanning over 10 kilometers. We came [to Merak] with the coordinating human development minister, the Indonesian Military and the National Police yesterday [Sunday] to discuss several effective ways of handling the issue,” Budi said on Monday, as quoted by Detik.com.
He added that the line of vehicles “still spanned many kilometers” as of Monday morning.
