Authorities Braced for Second Wave of ‘Mudik’ Return Traffic

The government expected return traffic to peak between Monday evening (24/4/2023) and Wednesday morning (26/4/2023).

FAKHRI FADLURROHMAN

Thousands of cars line up to make payments at the Cikampek 2 Toll Gate, Karawang, West Java, Tuesday (25/4/2023). The peak of return trips is expected to be distributed in the next few days until 1 May 2023, with an increase occurring on 26-29 April 2023.

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Authorities are braced for a second wave of mudik (exodus) return traffic, which is expected to peak on Sunday (30/4/2023) and Monday (1/5/2023) and is projected to be more hectic than the first wave of return traffic on 24 and 25 April. The government has instructed transportation operators to anticipate a surge in traffic density.

The second wave of mudik return traffic is imminent following President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s appeal to state institutions and private companies to give employees extended leave or leeway from work to travel to their hometowns over Idul Fitri. The recommendation for an extended holiday was intended to ease the density of return traffic.

"So [the second wave] will be more crowded. There will be more planes and higher [passenger] occupancy. The number of people returning to Jakarta will be greater," Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said upon reviewing the anticipatory measures taken by Soekarno-Hatta airport authorities on Tuesday (25/4/2023).

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Air traffic density at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport is reportedly 1,050 flights per day and is expected to increase to 1,200 flights per day in the second wave of return traffic.

Budi also told sea and land transportation operators to be ready to anticipate a surge in passengers.

National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo said he had initially expected return traffic to peak between Monday evening (24/4/2023) and Wednesday morning (26/4/2023). However, as of Tuesday morning, traffic density was still 13 percent of the anticipated 203,000 vehicles per day.

He attributed the low number of returning travelers to traffic engineering arrangements and the government’s call for military and police personnel, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) employees and civil servants to delay their return trips.

KOMPAS/FERGANATA INDRA RIATMOKO

Hundreds of homecoming vehicles line up to leave the Solo-Yogyakarta Toll Road in Banyudono District, Boyolali, Central Java, Tuesday (25/4/2023).

The government’s anticipated increase in vehicle volume has not seemed to materialize yet, despite the fact that toll operator Jasa Marga is offering a 20 percent discount on tolls for 26-29 April at the Cikampek Utama tollgate for travelers from Semarang to Jakarta.

Based on Kompas' observations, as of 8:45 p.m., traffic on arterial roads leading to the North Coast Highway, also called Pantura, appeared to be busy but flowing smoothly. Congestion occurred only on Jl. Haji Juanda heading to the Cikampek flyover and intersection. Along this road section, vehicles were traveling at a speed of 10 kilometers per hour.

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The congestion occurred as vehicles from Cikopo merged with those from Cikampek Market as well as vehicles heading to Karawang.

Meanwhile, more than 130,000 travelers from Sumatra had reportedly crossed the sea to Java during the first wave of mudik return traffic.

Traffic accident

A traffic accident was also reported on the Cipali toll road connecting Cikopo and Palimanan, occurring on Tuesday at around 11 a.m. The one-way traffic system has been implemented on the toll road. Three people, including two toddlers, were killed in the accident, which also injured nine others.

The accident occurred when Buhari (41) allegedly lost control of his minibus, with license plate number B 1271 TMK, as it was arriving at Kilometer Marker (KM) 153 in Kertajati district en route from Cirebon to Jakarta.

It seriously impacts the sustainability of the lives of the bereft family.

Meanwhile, the East Java Police reported 451 traffic accidents, up from 410 incidents last year. However, the number of fatalities had dropped from 35 people last year to 21 this year.

Djoko Setijowarno, the head of advocacy and community affairs at the Indonesian Transportation Society (MTI), pointed out that traffic fatalities were not mere statistics. "It seriously impacts the sustainability of the lives of the bereft family," he said.

In Medan, many buses were stuck in congestion on highways linking the city to Berastagi, Banda Aceh, and Parapat. As a result, increasing droves of passengers were stranded as they waited for buses to arrive.

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This article was translated by Musthofid.