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or people who live and work in Jakarta, life can be suffocating, with most voicing the need to take a break from their daily routine once in a while.

The upcoming long weekend in which two religious holidays take place, the Ascension of Jesus Christ which falls on Thursday and the Ascension of Prophet Muhammad that falls the following day, will be a rare opportunity for workers to escape from the hustle and bustle of the capital.

Heny Mustikasari, who works for an insurance company situated in the central business district on Jl. Sudirman, South Jakarta, said she had planned a weekend getaway to Yogyakarta.

“Jakarta is boring. Malls are no longer interesting,” said Heny, a Depok resident.

In a big city like Jakarta, people can find all kinds of entertainment, everything modern technology can offer, but the capital does not offer the serenity of nature.

“I crave a natural environment, something that is hard to find in Jakarta,” she said.

Heny had initially planned to travel on Thursday but tickets to Yogyakarta were fully booked, as she began only to search for a plane ticket last week.

“My flight is scheduled to take off at 5 a.m. on Friday. It’s early in the morning so I plan to spend the night at the airport to ensure I won’t miss the flight,” explained Heny, who will also travel with her 12-year-old son.

Another Depok resident, Mahargyani Yogyantari, said she would depart to Bandung on Wednesday night along with her husband and two young children.

“I know I will face heavy traffic, that is why I plan to anticipate it by departing home in the evening,” she said.

Bringing two toddlers, a 1-year-old and 4-year-old, she said, taking the road at 10 p.m. would be more convenient because her children would likely be asleep.

She said the travel time from Jakarta to Bandung took less than three hours but emphasized that it could stretch to six hours during a long weekend. However, she said she had prepared herself for any situation.

“We have checked our car, prepared some snacks and have tried to keep ourselves healthy,” she said.

Meanwhile, the Jakarta Police conducted a coordination meeting at its headquarters on Monday to safeguard and manage the traffic in anticipation of long-weekend traffic gridlock.

Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Awi Setiyono said he had coordinated with related parties, including both the Bandung and Banten police chiefs in West Java.

“We will deploy 6,295 personnel,” he said.

The personnel will be deployed at several hotspots notorious for heavy traffic, such as toll gates, alternative roads and rest areas.

“During the meeting it was also decided that toll gate keepers would need to actively approach queuing drivers. We have communicated with related parties that they need to add to staff numbers,” he said.

The police, Awi said, had also considered the reality that large vehicles such as trucks would worsen the traffic.

“We have no authority to forbid large vehicles from traveling on those days, but we have tried to communicate with the Transportation Ministry to urge large vehicle operators not to operate during the long weekend,” he said.

The police predict that there will be at least 127,000 vehicles attempting to depart the capital on Thursday.

Unlike most Jakartans, Ifan Aulia Ma’rufi, 25, plans to spend the long weekend in the capital as one of his family members is getting married.

“Fifteen of my family members will come to Jakarta from Cilacap, Central Java, on Thursday to attend the wedding ceremony on Saturday. After that I’ll take them around the capital, maybe visit Tanah Abang Market,” he said. (fac)