City streets deserted as residents head for their hometowns<\/p>\n
Tantri Yuliandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Traveling through the city on Sunday afternoon, one was
\nimmediately struck by how empty the streets were. The roads
\nlooked almost naked without the usual knots of honking cars and
\nbuses.<\/p>\n
It is four days to Idul Fitri and Jakartans have begun the
\nannual exodus to their hometowns, known as mudik. Some 2.5
\nmillion people are expected to flow out of the capital on buses,
\ntrains, cars, ships and airplanes this year.<\/p>\n
The annual flood of people out of the city traditionally
\nbegins a week before Idul Fitri, and a week later they begin
\nreturning to the capital -- along with many newcomers -- creating
\na headache for the government as it tries to cope with the
\nlogistical problems of so many people traveling at once.<\/p>\n
Days before the two-day Idul Fitri holiday begins on Nov. 3,
\nthe Jakarta-Cikampek toll road was packed with motorists heading
\nfor West Java, Central Java and East Java.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, Antara reported a long line of vehicles had begun
\nto form on the toll road, with private cars competing with large
\nintercity buses.<\/p>\n
The number of motorists on the road to Bogor, Puncak and
\nCianjur also increased dramatically, with no less than 200
\nmotorcyclists passing along the road every 30 minutes, a Bogor
\nCity Land and Transportation Agency officer said on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\"The long line of motorists began right after morning prayers
\nand they have not stopped since,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Most of the motorists are on their way to Bandung and other
\nWest Java cities such as Tasikmalaya and Banjar, where they will
\nspend Idul Fitri with their relatives.<\/p>\n
House of Representatives Speaker Agung Laksono toured
\nSoekarno-Hatta International Airport in Cengkareng, Tangerang, on
\nSunday, to see how the airport is coping with an increase of up
\nto 35 percent in the number of passengers from the same period
\nlast year.<\/p>\n
Minister of Transportation Hatta Radjasa said at least 33,860
\npeople had taken 263 flights out of Jakarta six days before Idul
\nFitri, compared to 22,869 people on 243 flights last year,<\/p>\n
\"This increase is also because there are a lot more airlines
\noperating larger airplanes this year,\" he was quoted by Antara as
\nsaying.<\/p>\n
The National Scouts has also pitched in to help with the rush
\nof people returning to their hometowns this year.<\/p>\n
The program includes helping direct traffic in public places
\nsuch as bus terminals, train stations and seaports, as well as
\nproviding basic health services for travelers.<\/p>\n
\"This program is an annual thing. This is my third year
\nhelping out,\" Imam Agrianto, a scout at Tanjung Priok Port, said.<\/p>\n
According to psychologist Sartono Mukadis, mudik has come to
\ntake on an almost sacred meaning for many Indonesians.<\/p>\n
\"To many Indonesians, mudik is seen as more than just a long
\nholiday in their hometown. It is almost sacred to them,\" he was
\nquoted by Antara as saying.<\/p>\n
Sartono said that for many people, the holiday was a way of
\nletting their families and friends back in their hometowns know
\nhow far they had come in life.<\/p>\n
This, more than any feelings of missing their hometowns and
\nfamilies, is what drives people to return home each year, despite
\nthe costs in terms of both time and money, he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/city-streets-deserted-as-residents-head-for-their-hometowns-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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