Homeward Travelers Told to Take Arterial Roads

KOMPAS/RONY ARIYANTO NUGROHO

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JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The peak of traffic in this year’s Christmas and New Year holiday season is expected to occur on Saturday. Homeward travelers driving private vehicles have been told not to rely only on toll roads, especially the Jakarta-Cikampek toll Our hearts want to be governed by a divine truth that embraces fellow beings, and participation of God road. The surge of traffic on the toll road could reach 32 percent.

Aside from using arterial roads in Jakarta, Bekasi and Karawang, which function as alternative routes, travelers are also told to check traffic conditions regularly via various smartphone apps.

The call was made by Transportation Ministry Land Transportation Director General Budi Setiadi on his visit to the Cikarang Utama tollgate on Friday.

“Please do not rely only on toll roads. If there is traffic congestion and the arterial road is empty, it is better to take that alternative road,” Budi Setiadi said after visiting the Jakarta-Cikampek route.

The Transportation Ministry has forecast a dramatic increase in the number of vehicles driving through the Cikarang Utama tollgate to around 103,000 units from Saturday to Sunday at 6 a.m. On normal days, the number of vehicles using the tollgate is around 78,000.

There will be an approximate 32 percent increase on the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road this weekend. “The vehicles need to be diverted to avoid congestion on one route [the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road],” Budi said.

He said the Transportation Ministry had coordinated with the National Police to prepare for traffic management on the arterial roads such as in Jakarta and Bekasi to ensure travelers’ safety.

One of the alternative routes is the Pekayon-Cikarang route through arterial roads in Jatiasih, Pekayon, Cut Mutia and Cibitung. The route can cut the travel time if the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road is congested.

Another measure to reduce traffic at Cikarang Utama tollgate is by implementing contra flow traffic systems. State toll road operator PT Jasa Marga has prepared six additional booths at the tollgate to anticipate the surge of traffic from Jakarta.

“If there is traffic congestion, the vehicles will be diverted to Cikarang 3 tollgate. Several employees will be there to help speed up payment at the tollgate,” Cikarang Utama tollgate head Ahmad Zamsuri said.

At Friday noon, there was an approximate 3-kilometer line of vehicles at Cikarang Utama tollgate. The queue quickly disappeared after officials implemented a contra flow system from Kilometer 29 through 50.

Truck ban

The traffic congestion was made worse by many trucks yesterday. In fact, the transportation minister has issued a circular to limit the operation of trucks carrying goods other than staple foods during the Christmas and New Year holiday season. The limitation applies to trucks with three axles or more and over 14 tons weight. The limitation applies on Dec. 22-23 and Dec. 29-30.

“I have asked the police to check the big trucks driving through the area. Are they transporting staple foods or other permitted goods? If not, they will be directed to exit the toll road,” he said.

West Java Transportation Agency previously also banned big trucks from driving on the arterial roads in the province on Dec. 23-26 and Dec. 29 to Jan.2, 2018.

The ban does not apply only to toll roads. The big trucks will potentially cause long congestion if they have engine failures or axle problems. This could be caused by the many ascents and descents on roads passing through hilly areas.

West Java Transportation Agency head Dedi Taufik said that in the same period of last year, there was a 35 percent increase in the number of vehicles passing through West Java. Of that number, half of them were trucks with over three axles transporting non-staple foods. He predicted a similar increase in traffic by year-end.

“This means there is a big surge in the number of private vehicles and trucks at the same time. If this is not regulated, there will be an accumulation of traffic that will create long congestion,” Dedi said in Bandung.

His agency called on businesspeople and logistics companies to speed up the delivery of goods before the specified restriction dates. Besides, authorities will also allocate certain locations as parking bays for trucks.

Truck drivers violating the restriction, he said, would be ticketed. “We have coordinated with the police to monitor the field,” Dedi said.

Meanwhile, based on the monitoring yesterday, the construction work on light rail transit and elevated road projects have been suspended. There was no construction activity, however, there was congestion at the site of the elevated toll road project at Kilometer 22 caused by the narrowing of the road in the area.

At Soekarno-Hatta Airport in Tangerang, Banten, the number of passengers has increased. As of 9 p.m. on Friday, there were 156,231 passengers flying via the airport. On Friday, there were no major flight delays.

Flight delay

Based on monitoring on Friday, there was only one delay of more than two hours of a Garuda Indonesia flight. The three-hour delay happened with the Lampung-Jakarta flight yesterday. In comparison, on Thursday, there were 20 delays of more than two hours.

Passenger Yuda, 40, said the delay disrupted his next flight schedule to Semarang. “I missed the next flight to Semarang. I should have flown to Semarang tonight,” said the passenger from Lampung.

Yuda was issued a substitute ticket and accommodation by the airline. His flight schedule has been moved to Saturday morning.

Garuda Indonesia vice president corporate secretary Hengki Heriandono said his office was committed to providing compensation for the flight delays that had occurred since Thursday night. The delays were triggered by a technical glitch and heavy rain in some cities across the country. “Yesterday we paid compensation in accordance with the Ministerial Regulation [No 89/2015],” he said.

Based on the ministerial regulation, airlines must provide compensation to delayed passengers based on five categories of the duration of the delay. In the fifth category, a flight delay of more than 240 minutes, for example, the airline needs to provide compensation in the form of a ticket or refund.

An increase in the number of train passengers was also seen at Senen Station in Jakarta. The increase amounted to 30 percent compared to normal days. PT Kereta Api Indonesia is laying on four extra trains serving Madiun, Malang, Kutoarjo and Surabaya in this Christmas and New Year holiday season.

The holiday spirit was also seen in several regions, such as in North Sumatra. Due to high demand, Kualanamu International Airport has so far seen 32 extra flights.

(TAM/BKY/ZAK/BAY/DD06/DD17/DD06)