By: Raynaldi Baskara )*
Ahead of the 2024 Christmas and 2025 New Year holidays, the government has prepared various strategic steps to anticipate the surge in vehicles and ensure the smooth flow of homecoming traffic. The Ministry of Transportation together with the National Police Traffic Corps and the Ministry of Public Works (PU) are at the forefront of implementing this policy, which is stated in the Joint Decree (SKB). Through the SKB, various traffic arrangements have been designed, including the implementation of a one-way system and contra flow on several main roads.
According to Acting Director General of Land Transportation, Ahmad Yani, this step was taken to provide comfort and security for people traveling. He explained that the one-way system will be implemented based on situational needs, while contra flow will apply to certain road sections with a schedule that has been arranged in detail.
On the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road, for example, contra flow will be implemented at KM 47 to KM 70 on certain dates at the end of December, namely on 21 to 29 December 2024 and the peak return flow on 1 January 2025.
Meanwhile, the Jakarta direction will also experience similar arrangements to ensure smooth return flow. This arrangement has been carefully designed based on traffic evaluations from previous years, so it is expected to reduce congestion at vulnerable points. This step aims to reduce potential congestion, especially on routes that are often important points during homecoming and return flows.
Then, Ahmad explained that the implementation of the one- way system will be adjusted to the situation and conditions that occur. This system is implemented based on the needs of hourly traffic conditions, traffic engineering indicators, evaluations, and various other considerations that are within the discretion of the police.
In addition, the Joint Decree states that during the 2024/2025 Christmas and New Year transportation period, construction projects around the road benefit space will be temporarily stopped, starting from December 18, 2024 at 00.00 local time to January 5, 2025 at 24.00 local time.
The traffic management policy can be evaluated during its validity by the police and, if there is a situational change in traffic flow, operational management can be carried out based on the police officer’s discretion.
Ahmad Yani also emphasized the importance of cooperation between ministries, institutions, and local governments in ensuring the smooth flow of homecoming. Arrangements such as parking pockets, buffer zones at port access, and delaying systems in crossing areas are an integral part of the government’s strategy in anticipating vehicle congestion.
Finally, Ahmad emphasized that the smoothness of people’s travel cannot be separated from the active role of officers in the field, who will continue to monitor and evaluate the situation to provide the best solution in real time.
On the other hand, Minister of Transportation, Dudy Purwagandhi, said that the readiness of transportation infrastructure is one of the government’s main focuses for this year’s Nataru. In a working meeting with Commission V of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Dudy emphasized that evaluations and surveys have been conducted to ensure that all modes of transportation are ready to serve the public ahead of Nataru.
Dudy highlighted the provision of more than 32 thousand buses, 764 ships, 2,683 trains, and 417 aircraft, all of which have been prepared to deal with the surge in the number of passengers. The Minister of Transportation also added that the government has prepared disaster mitigation protocols, including handling the impact of extreme weather that has the potential to disrupt travel.
Then, Korlantas Polri also has an important role in monitoring and controlling traffic during the Christmas and New Year transportation period. Policies such as temporarily stopping construction projects around highways are also part of the government’s efforts to minimize disruptions on main routes.
Police officers’ discretion will be applied to manage situational changes, especially during peak homecoming and return flows. With this approach, it is hoped that the public can enjoy a safer and smoother journey.
To support the implementation of this policy, the government also activated the free homecoming program which was held again this year. This program not only reduces congestion on the highway, but also helps reduce the risk of accidents, especially for motorcyclists.
The Directorate General of Land Transportation has provided homecoming routes to major cities in Java with a total capacity of more than 38 thousand passengers and 2,320 vehicles. In addition, the Directorate General of Railways and Sea Transportation also participated by providing free homecoming services via train and ship modes, which are expected to serve tens of thousands of passengers during this year-end holiday.
The government’s seriousness is also reflected in the readiness of the railway sector. VP Public Relations of PT KAI, Anne Purba, revealed that the company has prepared more than 40 thousand train trips during this period, including additional trains to accommodate the needs of the community.
In addition, KAI has also prepared hundreds of additional personnel to keep operations running smoothly, including personnel who will be on duty in areas prone to congestion and level crossings. The government hopes that with these preparations, the public can enjoy a more comfortable and efficient journey.
Overall, the steps taken by the government reflect a strong commitment to improving the quality of service during the Christmas and New Year holidays. Through solid coordination between all parties, the public is expected to feel the real benefits of this policy. The government appeals to the public to obey traffic rules and follow the directions of officers in the field in order to achieve smoothness and safety together.
)* The author is a contributor to the Jendela Baca Institute