Bandung Transport Authority Urges Mudik Travellers to Avoid Peak Hours on Nagreg Route

The Department of Transportation of Bandung Regency has appealed to homebound travellers to avoid peak hours when traversing the Nagreg Route, particularly during afternoons and evenings.

Ruddy Heryadi, Spokesperson Coordinator for the Bandung Department of Transportation’s Eid Security Monitoring Post, stated that traffic flow on the Nagreg Route typically experiences an increase during afternoon and evening hours.

“Usually, the mudik route at Nagreg experiences increased traffic during the afternoon through evening. For current conditions, traffic flow tends to be relatively busy yet flowing smoothly and not overly congested,” Ruddy said in Bandung on Tuesday.

Bandung’s Department of Transportation predicts the peak mudik exodus on the Nagreg Route, which leads toward Tasikmalaya, Garut and Central Java, will occur on H-1 Eid or Friday, 20 March.

He explained that this prediction is based on analysis of vehicle movement patterns and an extended joint holiday policy this Eid season.

“The holiday is quite lengthy, so people are given flexibility to choose when they will return. However, we estimate the peak return traffic will occur on H-1 Eid,” Ruddy said.

According to him, although peak traffic is predicted for Friday, 20 March, congestion on the route is expected to be less severe than in previous years.

This is due to effective traffic engineering and supporting policies such as free mudik services and a longer joint holiday period.

“This is an extraordinary breakthrough from the government. People are free to choose when to return, so the potential for prolonged congestion can be minimised,” he said.

To this end, the public is advised not only to pay attention to physical condition whilst driving, but also to ensure their vehicles are roadworthy, especially for long-distance travel.

Additionally, homebound travellers are advised to take advantage of the longer holiday period by departing earlier to avoid vehicle congestion.

“With the joint holiday beginning before Eid on 21 March, people can distribute their travel time from Wednesday, Thursday, through Friday, so traffic does not accumulate on H-1,” Ruddy said.