Going Home Early You Can Get Toll Rate Discounts of up to 20 Percent

Discounts on toll rates for this year's homecoming are provided for those who return home early. It is hoped that the peak of congestion will be resolved.

KOMPAS/AGUS SUSANTO

Traffic density on the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road Km 43 in Karawang, West Java, Saturday (23/12/2023).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Toll fares will receive a maximum discount of 20 percent for motorists who return home for Eid early. This fare cut is to encourage people to go home earlier so that traffic density at the peak of the homecoming flow can be reduced.

A member of the Toll Road Regulatory Agency (BPJT) from the Community Element, Tulus Abadi, stated during a press conference at the Astra Tower in Jakarta on Thursday (28/3/2024) that toll fee discounts only apply to the Trans-Java Toll Road up to the Kalikangkung Toll Road in Semarang, Central Java.

"Toll tariff discounts have been implemented to alleviate congestion so that travelers can travel earlier because the rates are cheaper," said Tulus.

Tulus added that this policy now only waits for official announcement from each toll road business entity. The toll rate discount should have been announced before H-7 Lebaran (a week before Eid al-Fitr, a major holiday in Indonesia).

Also read: Tips for going home on the Cipali Toll Road so you don't get stuck in traffic jams

KOMPAS/FAKHRI FADLURROHMAN

A row of cars refueling at the rest area Kilometer 166, Cikopo-Palimanan Toll Road, Majalengka Regency, West Java, Saturday (16/12/2023).

To support the Idul Fitri homecoming exodus, BUJT will operate six new functional toll roads aimed at easing traffic congestion. The toll roads will be functionally opened starting from H-4 of Idul Fitri, Saturday (6/4/2024). The functional tolls will operate from 05.00 to 17.00.

This new toll road is only temporarily opened as it is not yet 100 percent complete. Road equipment is inadequate. The speaker requested for street lighting to be prepared and toll officers to be stationed in the functional section.

Six new toll roads have been opened for functional use, namely the Cimanggis-Cibitung Toll Road (19.65 km), the Jakarta-Cikampek II South Toll Road of Sadang Kutanegara (8.5 km), and the Solo Yogyakarta-Kulonprogo Toll Road of Colomadu-Klaten (22.3 km). In Sumatra, functional toll roads that have been opened are the Kuala Tanjung-Indrapura Toll Road (9.47 km), the Indrapura-Kisaran Toll Road (32.15 km), and the Tebing Tinggi-Sinaksak Toll Road (47.15 km) (Kompas.id, 3/25/2024).

One of the SOEs, Astra Infra, predicts an increase in community mobility during Eid Al-Fitr in 2024. Around 6.8 million vehicles will pass through the Tangerang-Merak, Cikopo-Palimanan, and Jombang-Mojokerto toll roads. This figure represents a 3.4 percent increase compared to the Eid period in 2023.

According to Astra Infra data, the peak of the "mudik" traffic in the Tangerang-Merak Toll Road is predicted to occur on Wednesday (3/4/2024) with 179,000 vehicles. This is followed by the Cikopo-Palimanan Toll Road which is predicted to occur on Saturday (6/4/2024) with 123,000 passing vehicles, followed by the Jombang-Mojokerto Toll Road on Monday (8/4/2024) with 71,000 passing vehicles.

A similar situation occurs during the homecoming flow. The Cikopo-Palimanan and Jombang-Mojokerto Toll Road sections are estimated to reach congestion points on Sunday (April 14th, 2024) with a total of 141,000 vehicles and 99,000 vehicles respectively. The Tangerang-Merak Toll Road section will reach its holiday return peak on Saturday (April 20th, 2024) with 172,000 vehicles.

"We have equipped it with more than 500 CCTV units, seven traffic counter units, and a 24-hour call center," said Head of the Astra Infra 2024 Lebaran Cluster, Rinaldi.

KOMPAS/ADRIAN FAJRIANSYAH

Homecoming travelers began crossing the Kayu Agung-Palembang Toll Road in South Sumatra on Wednesday (27/3/2024). Generally, the toll roads in the South Sumatra region are straight and tend to be quiet, which can increase the risk of accidents.

Distribution of "rest areas"

Queues at rest areas (rest areas)are one of the causes of traffic jams on toll roads. Various efforts have been made to reduce traffic jams at rest areas.

The Head of Operations in the Traffic Corps of the Indonesian National Police, Commissioner Eddy Djunaedi, stated that the congestion at toll rest areas is usually triggered by the popular stalls at the entrance, which are often frequented by travelers. As a result, the accumulation of vehicles on the main road cannot be avoided.

"So, traffic engineering is regulated by asking vehicles to turn backwards. Otherwise, one lane of the road will run out. "Not to mention motorists who cross from lanes two and three to the rest area queue," said Eddy.

BPJT data as of February 2024 shows that there are 134 rest and service areas (TIP) on toll roads spread across Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi. Of that number, 70 are located on the Trans-Java toll road from Merak to Probolinggo.

Tulus urges the public to limit their resting duration. It is hoped that the community can switch to other resting places when the initial location is crowded. In addition, they can also rest at places along the arterial road by briefly leaving the toll exit.

"Don't park on the shoulder of the road near the rest area because it is dangerous and causes traffic jams," he said.

Director of Road Traffic at the Ministry of Transportation, Ahmad Yani, stated that they have prepared culinary maps around toll roads. The community can utilize the Mitra Darat application to search for information.

A survey by the Ministry of Transportation (MoT) entitled "Potential Movement of Eid al-Fitr Transportation in 2024" shows that as many as 193.6 million people will go on a homecoming journey this year, a sharp increase compared to last year's 123.8 million people. 84.57 million of them will use buses, private cars, and rental cars and will pass through toll roads and arterial roads.