Beware of Peak Return Traffic on 24 March: Strategies to Avoid Congestion

JAKARTA - Time management is the determining factor for the smooth flow of this week’s return journey traffic. PT Jasa Marga (Persero) Tbk predicts that the peak of the Lebaran 1447 H return flow will occur on Tuesday, 24 March 2026. Considering the return flow period is much shorter than the outbound period, the risk of extreme congestion on the Trans-Java Toll Road becomes a real threat if vehicle movements pile up on the same day. This means millions of vehicles will still crowd the toll roads almost simultaneously heading towards the capital. The main focus of traffic security is on the Eastern Corridor. Throughout the outbound period, traffic towards Trans-Java via the Cikampek Utama toll gate surged up to 130 percent above normal. This high traffic volume is predicted to reverse direction massively towards Jakarta on 24 March. This condition makes the meeting point of flows from Central Java and Bandung on the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road very crucial. To avoid stagnation on the peak day, Jasa Marga is launching a mitigation strategy by encouraging the public to shift their travel times. There are two main incentives offered to those with time flexibility: Second, Jasa Marga will reapply a 30 percent toll discount on 26-27 March 2026. This step aims to encourage returnees to travel home after the peak period has passed, while also gaining travel cost efficiency. After family visits, traffic patterns are predicted to shift to tourist destination routes before entering the main return flow. Rivan reminded that density in recreational areas can become an initial obstacle to the smooth flow towards Jabotabek. The public is also urged to monitor real-time navigation through the Travoy app or One Call Center 14080 to anticipate traffic engineering such as one-way or contraflow that may be implemented by the police at any time.