Administration prepared for Idul Fitry exodus

Administration prepared for Idul Fitry exodus

JAKARTA (JP): The City Land Transportation Agency is
organizing 13,685 personnel to ensure safe passage for Jakartans
in the massive exodus to hometowns for the Idul Fitri holidays.

Head of traffic supervision, Oriyanto, said Saturday these
officers were from the agency, state-owned insurance company Jasa
Raharja, the Ministry of Public Works and the police.

"West Java has prepared about 10,983 personnel to anticipate
the exodus from Jakarta," he said.

In Central Java, 11,000 personnel will be readied. In East
Java, 10,545 officers will supervise routes and assist
passengers.

"Areas most prone to congestion, such as Cikampek toll road,
Cikopo and Sadang bridge in West Java will be supervised
thoroughly."

Oriyanto added that coordination between regions, especially
Jakarta and West Java, was essential to ensuring efficiency
because the flow of passengers would start from the national
capital and fan out through border areas of West Java, such as
Bekasi and Tangerang.

"We have constructed some 128 posts along the routes from
Jakarta to West Java to prevent chaotic traffic conditions,
especially in the areas prone to accidents," he added.

Coordination between regions will be continued for the influx
of passengers back to Jakarta, lasting from February to March.

"Hopefully we can anticipate it well as we did last year," he
said.

The city's railway stations and bus terminals will also
undergo some structural changes on their sites to prepare for
surging passenger numbers.

Temporary ticket windows, tents and iron fences to separate
arriving and departing passengers are among amenities to be
erected at Pasar Senen and Gambir railway stations in Central
Jakarta, and Pulogadung bus terminal in East Jakarta.

Bey Arief, head of the Pasar Senen station, said Saturday a
2,000-square-meter tent, 18 temporary ticket windows and the iron
fences would be set up.

In addition to preparing eight portable toilets, two health
posts and two ambulances, the management has also designated
special train cars on each route for the elderly, pregnant women
and children under five years old, Bey said.

"Numbers of passengers in the special car will be limited in
order to prevent cramped conditions and fatigue," he said.

At Gambir, a new iron fence has been constructed to separate
those in line at ticket windows and people entering the station.

"This is to give a wider space for people to line up," said
Bambang Walujodjati, head of public relations for the station.

"There's no other special preparations as facilities are
sufficient here, and we have dealt with these conditions for
years."

He said the management would deploy additional staff from the
city's smaller stations, which had relatively low passenger rates
during the holidays.

"For the sake of serving the huge number of passengers, we
forbid staff from taking leave during the holiday."

Two tents erected last Tuesday are the first signs at
Pulogadung of the busy days to come.

The exodus has yet to begin in full at the station, however,
evident by the smooth passenger flow Saturday.

Hundreds of people waited with their belongings at the station
as they prepared to board buses home.

"We have bought tickets and we are waiting for our bus," said
Sarmini, who was destined for Jember, East Java, with two
friends.

Abdul Hakim, head of the Pulogadung bus terminal, said current
passenger numbers were below capacity.

The 3.5-hectare terminal can accommodate 750 buses and 23,000
passengers per day, he said. (edt/ind)