2024 Eid Homecoming: Traffic Congestion Shifts from Java to Sumatra

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Traffic congestion during the 2024 homecoming shifted from Java to Sumatra. According to the National Police Chief, General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, this occurred because the homecoming peak in Java is spread over four days. Meanwhile, traffic jams occurred on the Trans Sumatra toll road because several toll roads were not yet operational.

"We did well to overcome the homecoming flow peak," said Listyo Sigit Prabowo when checking the condition of KM 70 of the Cikampek Utama Toll Road, Karawang, West Java, on Monday evening.

He said the traffic on the toll road from KM 50 to KM 414 Kalikangkung, Semarang experienced a significant increase of about 6 to 7 percent compared to the homecoming peak in 2023.

Even though there has been an increase in the number of vehicles, this year's Eid homecoming can be handled well because the peak homecoming flow is spread over April 5, 6, 7, and 8.

"So we have found a formula for dealing with the homecoming flow in 2025," he said.

He added that homecoming this year was faster than the previous years. "In Central Java, there is an improvement where the trip that usually takes about 8 hours took 6 to 7 hours instead,” Sigit said.

Severe traffic jams have occurred on the east highway of Sumatra on the Palembang-Betung section since last Friday. However, on Sunday evening, April 7, 2024, the congestion began to unravel.

South Sumatra Regional Police Traffic Director Chief Commissioner M. Pratama Adhyasastra explained that there are several reasons why traffic jams last for hours on the country's roads. Apart from the high number of vehicles passing before Eid al-Fitr, traffic jams are also caused by impatient drivers. "We also found that the road was narrowing, therefore disrupting the speed of vehicles," he said.

The interest in Eid homecoming travel using the Trans Sumatra Toll Road is soaring. This can be seen from the latest report by toll road operator PT Hutama Karya which noted a significant increase in traffic on the Trans Sumatra Toll Road (JTTS).

PT Hutama Karya (Persero) Corporate Secretary Adjib Al Hakim explained that during the 2024 Eid homecoming flow, the number of vehicles crossing JTTS on April 6-8, 2024, was recorded at 313,800 units, a 47 percent increase compared to regular days.

According to him, this figure was an accumulation of the upward trend of vehicles crossing several sections of the toll road, with the biggest recorded for the Terbanggi Besar - Kayu Agung (Terpeka) toll road with  75,349 vehicles or an increase of 88.4 percent. 58,397 vehicles were crossing the Palembang - Prabumulih (Palindra & Inprabu) toll road, an increase of 57 percent. And 42,215 vehicles were crossing the Binjai – Tanjung Pura (Binsa) toll road, an increase of 43 percent. 

Contraflow on the Cikampek Toll Road

National Police Chief General Pol Listyo Sigit Prabowo said that the implementation of a contraflow traffic system is still needed even though his side will continue to evaluate the system after the accident that killed 12 people at KM 58 of the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road on Monday.

On the other hand, he said, not only evaluation is needed to prevent something similar from happening, but also individual awareness to measure their own conditions. "We advise people who are tired not to force themselves," he said.

The police also arrange for vehicles to enter rest areas during contraflow, as well as arterial routes in case the rest area is full. 

The National Police Chief emphasized that the contraflow arrangements will continue to be evaluated and adjusted. 

TIM TEMPO | ANTARA

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