Bali Police Launch Diverse Efforts to Reduce Long Vehicle Queues at Gilimanuk Port
Vehicle queues heading to Gilimanuk Port reached approximately 31 kilometres on the seventh day before Lebaran 2026. The Bali Regional Police conducted diverse measures to ease congestion, including traffic engineering efforts to facilitate smooth departure of travellers leaving Bali.
“Our personnel, together with relevant agencies, continue to regulate and implement traffic engineering measures, including the application of a delay system for vehicles with three or more axles,” stated Kombes Ariasandy, Head of Public Relations for Bali Regional Police, in a statement on Sunday (15/3/2026).
Based on monitoring conducted on Sunday afternoon, the situation at Bali’s exit through Gilimanuk Port experienced significant increases. Parking areas within the port facility were reported to be completely full of vehicles, predominantly comprising motorcycles, private cars, and logistics transport.
Vehicle queues even extended into Negara Subdistrict, Jembrana Regency. Ariasandy stated that the queue length was estimated to reach approximately 31 kilometres from Gilimanuk Port.
According to him, Bali Regional Police personnel together with Jembrana Police District, involved in Operation Ketupat Agung 2026, had implemented response measures to address the surge in vehicle traffic. In addition to regulating traffic flow, personnel were positioned at several congestion points to provide guidance to road users to maintain order and follow officer instructions.
Meanwhile, officers conducted screening of vehicles with three or more axles in the Denpasar, Badung, and Tabanan areas. Vehicles were directed to buffer zones to implement a delay system before continuing their journey to Gilimanuk Port.
“Officers also conducted periodic patrols along the entire queue route to prevent vehicles from attempting to jump the queue, whilst ensuring that traffic flow remains orderly,” said Ariasandy.
Bali Regional Police, he said, had conducted intensive coordination with several relevant agencies to ensure that the exodus traffic through Gilimanuk Port ran smoothly. This included coordination with ASDP Indonesia Ferry, Port Authority and Harbour Master (KSOP), the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI), harbour authorities, road maintenance services, and the Transportation Office.
“These measures are implemented to reduce vehicle congestion heading to Gilimanuk Port whilst accelerating the ferry crossing process,” added Ariasandy. He urged the public to remain orderly, follow officer instructions, and comply with regulations in force during the Lebaran 2026 transport operations.
It is noted that ferry operations across the Bali Strait are currently served by 31 ships. One ship also implemented a Arrive-Unload-Depart (AUD) system at Ketapang Port to accelerate vehicle loading and unloading processes so that queues could gradually ease.