TEMPO.CO, Bandung - The authorities have deployed a joint team of 27,162 personnel from police, military, and regional governments in West Java to secure Eid homecoming travel in the operation called "Operasi Ketupat Lodaya 2024".

“The operation is held from April 4 to 16,” said the West Java Traffic Police Chief Comsr. Wibowo in Bandung, West Java, on Friday, April 5.

Operasi Ketupat Lodaya is an annual police operation in West Java to ensure security, smooth traffic flow, and public safety during the Eid holidays.

The word "Ketupat" refers to a traditional Indonesian rice cake that is wrapped in banana leaves before being cooked, often served during the Eid festivity, while "lodaya" means "tiger" in the Sundanese language.

In addition to the deployment of joint personnel, West Java police headquarters have also prepared several schemes for anticipating traffic jams, Wibowo said.

In anticipation of heavy traffic, which often occurred during the Eid holiday season, he said his office planned to implement the contraflow on the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road and one-way traffic program from KM 72 to KM 414 of the Cipali toll road.

Wibowo urged those driving home for this year's Eid celebration to check the condition of their vehicles thoroughly before leaving for safety reasons.

As reported earlier, a joint survey conducted by the Transportation Ministry and the Communication and Informatics Ministry revealed that 193.6 million people are expected to travel during the Eid holiday season.

State-owned toll road operator PT Jasa Marga has projected that the peak of this year's Eid homecoming traffic could occur on April 6, 2024, with around 259,000 vehicles passing through four main toll gates.

The four toll gates are Cikampek Utama and Kalihurip Utama (Trans Java and Bandung), Ciawi (heading to Puncak resort), and Cikupa (heading to Merak ferry port).

Meanwhile, the peak of outbound Eid travel is expected on April 15, with about 300,000 vehicles passing through the four main toll gates.

To ensure the smooth flow of cars on toll roads during the Eid holiday season, Jasa Marga announced that it has temporarily suspended e-toll card expiry.

An e-toll card expires when a user exceeds twice the normal travel time on a toll road. Thereafter, the card cannot be used to open automatic exit barriers.

Expired cards need to be reactivated with the help of a toll gate worker for toll fee payment.

ANTARA

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