Gov't Urges Indonesian to Go on Mudik Earlier to Prevent Dense Traffic

TheIndonesia.id - Indonesian Ministry of Transportation is urging the public to go on mudik earlier to prevent dense traffic in the days ahead of national holiday Idul Fitri.

To celebrate the big day, it’s a tradition among Indonesians to return to their hometowns to celebrate Idul Fitri (also called Lebaran). With up to 76 million Indonesians expected to take part in the annual tradition, the Ministry has urged the public to start their trip earlier to avoid heavy and dense traffic.

“We urge people to go on mudik earlier, starting on April 23,” Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said on Wednesday, April 20, as reported by Antara.

According to him, his office is working alongside the National Police and Ministry of Public Works and Housing (PUPR) to perfect the preparation for mudik this year.

“This year, the [volume of people who go on mudik] is expected to rise by 40 percent compared to 2019. It’s a high figure and worries the President [Joko Widodo], who asked us to create simulation,” Sumadi explained.

Among some of the traffic engineering plans prepared by authorities are odd-even, one-way, and contraflow traffic rules. Triple-axle trucks are also prohibited from arterial and toll roads.

The Minister is asking people who are going on mudik to cooperate with the rules set out by authorities, so the plan to prevent heavy traffic can succeed. He also predicted that if the majority of the public start their trip on April 29-30, travel time will inevitably become much longer.

“Don’t expect to get to Semarang [in Central Java] in six to seven hours because it can take twice as long,” Sumadi reminded.