Hundreds of Trailer Trucks Stuck in Tanjung Priok Congestion

Hundreds of empty and container-laden trailer trucks became gridlocked within Tanjung Priok Port in North Jakarta on Friday 13 March.

Head of Traffic Unit at North Jakarta Metro Police Kompol Ridha stated that a traffic accident caused a truck to overturn on a road near Checkpoint 9 at Tanjung Priok Port.

“This accident has impacted vehicle traffic flow and created severe congestion,” he said, as quoted by Antara news agency.

He said officers were currently evacuating the vehicle using tow trucks in hopes of restoring traffic flow. “The truck has been evacuated and traffic flow is expected to resume,” he added.

By late afternoon, some truck drivers had even shut off their engines due to the stationary traffic.

“This long congestion has been going on for quite some time and I was forced to shut off my engine,” said one truck driver, Yoga, near the entrance to Checkpoint I at Tanjung Priok Port in Jakarta.

The trucks lined up in a long queue from Kebon Bawang through to Tanjung Priok Terminal and continuing to the Checkpoint I gate near Tanjung Priok Port Police Station.

Additionally, long congestion also occurred in the opposite direction, ranging from the Ancol area towards Checkpoint I at Tanjung Priok Port.

Within the port area, a long queue also formed from Checkpoint I to the exit route at Checkpoint 9 at Tanjung Priok Port on Friday afternoon. This queue caused drivers to shut off their engines and park whilst waiting for traffic ahead to move forward.

By 18:00 WIB, the extensive congestion had expanded to the Danau Cincin area near Jakarta International Stadium (JIS). This location serves as a vehicle access point to Tanjung Priok Police Substation and extends through to Kebon Bawang.

Meanwhile, severe congestion also occurred on Jalan Yos Sudarso heading towards Checkpoint 9 at Tanjung Priok Port. Hundreds of vehicles were unable to move closer to Indonesia’s largest port.