Deputy Police Chief Monitors Lebaran Holiday Traffic Flow from Air; Merak-Bakauheni Ferry Route Operating Smoothly

JAKARTA — Deputy National Police Chief Komjen Dedi Prasetyo conducted an aerial monitoring of the Lebaran 2026 holiday traffic flow at the Merak-Bakauheni ferry crossing on Tuesday, 17 March 2026.

From the aerial monitoring results, traffic flow from Jakarta towards Merak Port and Bakauheni Port was observed to be relatively smooth.

“Overall, from the aerial analysis results it is relatively quite smooth, and alhamdulillah the weather conditions are quite good,” said the Deputy Police Chief in his statement on Tuesday.

Nevertheless, he acknowledged that vehicle queues, both motorcycles and cars, have begun to form at Merak Port as the number of holiday travellers heading to Sumatra increases.

Dedi predicted that the peak of the second wave of holiday traffic would occur on 18 to 19 March 2026.

Meanwhile, the return holiday traffic is estimated to occur in two waves, namely on 24-25 March and 28-29 March 2026.

“The second wave of holiday traffic is predicted to occur on 18 to 19 March. Then the return traffic is estimated on 24-25 and 28-29 March,” he explained.

To anticipate the surge in vehicles, police alongside stakeholders have prepared various security measures as part of Operation Ketupat 2026.

Security is being conducted through patrols, escort operations, and traffic management at critical points, particularly towards port areas.

Dedi also appealed to the public to plan their travel carefully and avoid peak times if possible.

He also requested the public to utilise police services through the 110 call centre should they require assistance during their journey.

“If you need police services, please contact the 110 service and we request that officers respond quickly,” he concluded.