2026 Homecoming Traffic: Cipali Toll Road Crawling with Congestion, Rest Areas Overloaded

From morning to midday today, Thursday (19/3/2026), homecoming traffic on the Cikopo-Palimanan (Cipali) toll road was observed to be experiencing slowdowns. Even with the one-way system in place, both lanes of the toll road were densely congested and crawling. Upon investigation, the cause of the traffic slowdown was an overload at the rest area at KM 130, along with the flow of vehicles entering and exiting there. According to data from Astra Tol Cipali, on Thursday from 00:00 to 08:00 WIB, around 41,000 vehicles had passed the former Cikopo toll gate towards Cirebon. Astra Tol Cipali Head, Ardam Rafif Trisilo, quoted from Kompas.com. Ardam stated that yesterday and today mark the peak of the 2026 homecoming traffic. Thus, congestion on the Cipali toll road is expected to continue. “The main cause of the slowdown this morning has been identified as the increasing number of vehicles stopping on the roadside,” he said. Ardam advised homecomers not to rest on the roadside. If rest areas are full, an alternative is for drivers to stop at areas near the nearest toll gates for safety during the journey. Meanwhile, on another occasion, the Head of the National Police Traffic Corps (Kakorlantas) Polri, Irjen Agus Suryonugroho, said that the 2026 homecoming traffic is safe and under control.