Idul Fitri Commuters Expected to Return in Two Waves, Traffic Already Bad
Jakarta. Hundreds of thousands of vehicles returning to Jakarta and its surrounding cities after the Idul Fitri holidays are expected to arrive in two waves, on this and next weekend, as some employees will be back at work on Monday (03/07), while others may have a longer vacation, until July 10 — when children return to schools.
Head of the West Java transportation office Dedi Taufik said, as quoted by state news agency Antara, that the first surge began on Saturday, and a number of major roads connecting the province to Jakarta are already clogged.
According to Dedi, from Tuesday to Friday about 1.27 million vehicles crossed the northern part of West Java, heading to the capital.
"The remaining vehicles haven't returned yet from the Idul Fitri holiday," he said, adding that the estimated number is more than 877,300 and the highest traffic congestion is expected on this weekend and on July 8-9.
The Ministry of Manpower declared a week-long collective leave — known locally as cuti bersama — on June 23-30, for workers to celebrate Idul Fitri.
Commercial lenders, government offices, the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX), and many other offices have been closed, with activities set to be resumed on Monday.
According to Antara, heavy traffic is already visible on the Cikopo-Palimanan (Cipali) Toll Road that connects the busiest toll road in the country — Jakarta-Cikampek — to the Palimanan-Kanci Toll Road in Cirebon, Central Java.
Drivers say heavy traffic on Cipali has been observed since Saturday morning, with vehicles queuing to enter rest areas.
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