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Traffic streams back toward the capital along the Semarang-Solo road in Salatiga, East Java on Wednesday. (Photo: Wahyu Putro A, Antara)

Roads Choked As Vacationers Make Return Trip to Jakarta

All roads leading to Jakarta were clogged with motorists on Wednesday, as millions of travelers who had left the city for the Idul Fitri began streaming back into the capital.

In Limbangan and Garut, West Java, as well as in Priangan, Central Java, slow-moving vehicles formed lines stretching dozens of kilometers.

The post-Idul Fitri return, known as arus balik , is expected to reach its peak over the weekend, but traffic heading toward Jakarta began slowing down as early as Tuesday night on the crowded roadways.

“We came home early with the hope of not getting stuck in traffic. But we got stuck too,” said Effendi, a motorist caught in traffic on a road in Priangan.

Roadside restaurants and gas stations serving as resting places for weary travelers also became points of congestion.

News portal detik.com reported that traffic on the road heading from Cipanas, a popular tourist area in West Java, to Jakarta was at a standstill on Wednesday.

“Puncak, bad traffic!”, said Sanjaya, a driver quoted by detik.com.

He added that the roads were so packed that almost all travelers turned off their engines, got out of their vehicles and stretched their legs.

“Everyone was stressed,” he said.

But traffic in the capital flowed smoothly for most of Wednesday, the last day of the five-day holiday period.

“There were many vehicles on the main roads such as at Senayan roundabout, Hotel Indonesia roundabout and Jalan Gatot Subroto as of 5 p.m. But there are no traffic jams,” Muhammad, an official from Jakarta Police’s traffic management center, said on Wednesday evening.

Andi, another police officer at the Jakarta Police’s Traffic Management Center, said there were no significant signs of the returning travelers yet.

“We will get a recap from the officials in the field tonight. They will record the numbers of people and buses coming into the terminals,” he said.

The traffic jams in the capital were mostly around popular recreation spots, like Ancol, where about 80,000 people spent their last free day, and near Ragunan Zoo.

But BeritaJakarta.com, the city’s official news portal, reported on Wednesday that at Kampung Rambutan bus terminal in East Jakarta, there had been an increasing number of people returning to the city.

By midday on Wednesday, 28,060 passengers had arrived on 688 buses.

Senen bus station in Central Jakarta recorded 9,568 people arriving on Tuesday.

Andi said that police officers were manning check points to monitor the number of people and private vehicles entering the city.

He added that the police would monitor the return for seven days after Idul Fitri. In addition to the officers in the field, a closed-circuit television system is being used to monitor the traffic situation.

This year more than 27 million people left major cities and towns across the archipelago to return home and celebrate the Idul Fitri holiday, which marks the end of the fasting month.

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