A safe journey home

Sun, June 2, 2019 / 08:42 pm

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Coming home: Passengers disembark from the KM Dorolonda, which docked at Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta on Wednesday. The Transportation Ministry predicted the peak of this year’s Idul Fitri exodus for those traveling by sea to fall on June 1. The peak of the reverse exodus is expected to occur on June 8. JP/Dhoni Setiawan
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Rail good time: Children joke as they wait to board the KA Gumarang train, which will travel to Surabaya, East Java, from Pasar Senen Station in Central Jakarta, during the coming home together program sponsored by the State-Owned Enterprises Ministry on Tuesday. JP/Seto Wardhana
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Drive slow: Trucks drive on the Kalikuto Bridge as construction workers in the distance resurface a toll road to ensure passengers enjoy a safe travel experience in Batang regency, Central Java, on Monday. JP/Suherdjoko
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The wheels on the bus: Two children travel with their parents to their hometown from Kampung Rambutan Station in East Jakarta on Wednesday. Most of the homebound travelers departing from the bus station were women and children. JP/PJ Leo
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Time to ride: A family of four travels on a motorcycle in Cibitung, Bekasi, West Java, on Thursday. Greater Jakarta’s mudik (exodus) has begun and residents are using any means necessary to return to their hometowns to celebrate Idul Fitri. JP/PJ Leo
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Guard’s best friend: K-9 police personnel inspect I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport in Bali on Tuesday. A team of 1,648 personnel was prepared to secure the airport during the holiday exodus. Airlines have provided 765 extra flights to anticipate a jump in passengers. JP/Zul Trio Anggono
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Next gen: A passenger enters a new Luxury car of the KA Gajayana executive train, which serves routes between Malang and Jakarta, at Kota Baru Station in Malang, East Java, on Tuesday. The Luxury ticket price is Rp 1 million (US$69.42) per trip. JP/Aman Rochman

With airfares skyrocketing ahead of Idul Fitri, which will come in less than one week, traveling by car has become the favored mode of transportation among many holiday revelers, particularly those bound for Central or East Java.

A recent survey by the Transportation Ministry found that 14.9 million people living in Greater Jakarta will celebrate Idul Fitri in their hometowns, with 4.3 million of them opting to drive and 4.5 million taking the bus.

According to ministry estimates, 10.61 million private vehicles — 3.79 million cars and 6.85 million motorcycles — will hit the roads during this year’s Idul Fitri exodus. It predicts the peak of the exodus to occur from May 30 to June 1, while the peak of the reverse exodus is expected to last from June 7 to 9.

Authorities, toll road operators and various stakeholders are prepared to welcome any and all homebound travelers looking to drive along the 996-kilometer trans-Java toll road from Merak, Banten, to Probolinggo, East Java, and 503-km trans-Sumatra toll road.

To improve services for these travelers, the government is enforcing a one-way traffic rule on the trans-Java toll road from May 30 to June 2. The temporary change applies to roughly 230 km of toll road between Cikarang in Bekasi, West Java, and the West Brebes exit gate in Central Java. The same arrangement will be implemented for the return flow of traffic from June 8 to 10, between the Palimanan tollgate in Cirebon, West Java, and Cikarang, West Java.

With the traffic plans in place, hopefully the journey home for all is smooth with the number of accidents kept to a minimum. The National Police reported 389 accidents during the Idul Fitri exodus last year, down 20 percent from the 485 road incidents in 2017. —JP