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Further improvement needed despite better Idul Fitri travel this year: Govt
Despite mostly safe and smooth travel during this year’s Idul Fitri holiday season, some improvements, such as opening more rest areas along toll roads, are still needed, the government has concluded in an evaluation meeting.
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Have a safe trip: Vehicles of Idul Fitri travelers leaving Jakarta stand in line to cross the Kali Kuto bridge in Batang, Central Java, on June 13. (JP/Suherdjoko)
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espite mostly safe and smooth travel during this year’s Idul Fitri holiday season, some improvements, such as opening more rest areas along toll roads, were still needed, the government concluded in an evaluation meeting on Monday.
Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto said the number of traffic accidents and fatalities during this year’s Idul Fitri holiday period was down from last year’s number. Stable prices of basic commodities were another government achievement that had seen the Islamic festivities run smoothly, he went on.
“For Idul Fitri last year, the prices of basic necessities skyrocketed and became unaffordable,” Wiranto said, as quoted by kompas.com during a multisectoral coordination meeting called Analysis and Evaluation of 2018 Idul Fitri Safety and held by the National Police on Monday.
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi, Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman, Public Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono, National Police chief Gen. Tito Karnavian and Indonesian Military commander Air Chief Marshall Hadi Tjahjanto also attended the meeting.
Basuki said more rest areas were needed along the roads used for mass holiday travel. For this year’s exodus from Greater Jakarta, several rest areas had been added, he noted.
The minister said one of the causes of severe traffic jams on toll roads was long queues of cars entering rest areas. “We think there should probably be more rest areas for the next Idul Fitri, Christmas and New Year exodus,” Basuki said. (stu/ebf)
