Accidents mar annual exodus, claim eight lives

Accidents mar annual exodus, claim eight lives

JAKARTA (JP): The annual exodus of people heading to their
hometowns for next week's Idul Fitri and Christmas holidays was
marked on Friday by at least two automobile accidents on the
northern coast highway with at least eight people killed.

In the accident at Bendungan village in Astanajapura district,
Cirebon, West Java, a bus loaded with passengers collided with a
rice-carrying truck and killed four people including the bus
driver, his assistant, the truck driver and his assistant.

Ten passengers from the bus were badly injured from the
accident which occurred a few minutes after midnight. All of the
victims were rushed to the Gunung Jati hospital in Cirebon.

A few minutes later in Batanghari village, Pamanukan district,
in Subang also in West Java, a truck was trying to overtake a
vehicle in front of it but later collided with a minivan
traveling from the opposite direction.

Four people died from the accident while seven others were
injured.

A number of fatal road accidents always occur during the
annual exodus.

In the last two days, Ministry of Transportation offices
across the country have reported that this year's annual exodus,
which began a few days ago, has already cost the lives of at
least 38 people who died from several accidents, according to
detik.com.

On Wednesday, 15 accidents were recorded with 11 people
killed. On the following day, 28 other accidents reported,
claiming the lives of 19 travelers.

In Sirna Raga public graveyard in Bandung, Kompas daily
reported on Friday that grave diggers were told to prepare dozens
of graves to anticipate possible road accidents.

Last year at the graveyard, 35 graves had been prepared and at
the end of the holiday season, all of the holes were occupied.

Meanwhile, the number of people heading home for holidays
started to rise significantly on Friday.

Lines of cars, kilometers long, mostly heading to Central Java
and East Java, were seen moving slowly on the streets in Cikopo,
West Java, mostly heading east on Cikampek toll road, West Java.

The number of cars and buses using the toll road on Friday was
recorded as the highest in the last five days with some 2,000
vehicles entering the road from Cikopo.

To anticipate the high number of vehicles using the Cikopo
tollroad gates heading to their destinations in Central Java and
East Java, toll road company Jasa Marga opened all the gates for
vehicles heading to Central Java and East Java.

The northern coastal route between Brebes and Batang, is the
major road used by the exodus and is about 163.9 kilometers long.
It's prone to street congestion since there are many road and
bridge constructions along the route.

Street congestion may also occur along Jl. Raya Sayung in
Demak due to similar road constructions.

Many travelers were complaining about the conditions saying
that local government had failed to plan the timing of the road
works adequately.

In Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, the number of people leaving
the city to their hometowns started to rise as could be seen at
the Kilometer Enam bus station

Head of the provincial Land Transportation and Traffic Control
Office (DLLAJ) Helmi Indra Sangun said that this year's annual
exodus would reach its peak on Saturday and Sunday which was
predicted to increase by 5 percent from last year's figure.

Helmi said that 5,531 buses had been prepared to transport
some 2.4 million people predicted to leave the city for their
hometowns to celebrate holidays with their families.

However in several areas on Friday, the number of people
taking part in this year's annual exodus was still low.

In Bandung, West Java, the number of train passengers heading
to their hometowns mostly to Central Java, Yogyakarta, and East
Java, were still normal as no long queues could be seen in front
of ticket boxes at Bandung train station.

Head of state-owned railway company PT Kereta Api (PT KA)'s
Bandung office Masduki Achmad told Antara that the number of
people taking trains five days before the Idul Fitri holiday this
year was 35,707, a decrease of 72 percent from last year's figure
of 49,338.

Also in Bandung, some 1.260 people who came from 630 families
employed at cigarette retailers left the city using 26 buses
provided by cigarette company PT HM Sampoerna.

The departure of the cigarette sellers and their families
heading mostly to Garut, Ciamis, and Cilacap in West Java,
Yogyakarta, Purwokerto, Kebumen and Solo was attended by the
city's mayor Aa Tarmana.

In Surabaya, East Java, many empty seats could still be found
on trains at the city's train station.

Head of PT KA's Surabaya public relations department Sudarsono
said that 56 percent of train seats had not been used by
passengers.

"Only 35 percent of the executive class train seats for the
destinations of Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Bandung (West Java) have
been sold, 57 percent for business class and 40 percent for
economy class," Sudarsono said.

However, Sudarsono said, the number of people leaving the city
for their hometowns for this holiday season was to reach its peak
on Saturday and Sunday. (jaw)