Lebaran Return Traffic: Cipali Toll Road Congestion Reaches 2,800 Vehicles per Hour
JAKARTA – The 2026 Lebaran return traffic has begun to exert significant pressure on the Cikopo–Palimanan (Cipali) toll road. The surge in vehicle volumes heading towards Jakarta was recorded at around 2,800 units per hour, causing congestion at several points.
This situation has become more complex not only due to the high vehicle volume but also on-site factors, such as vehicles stopping on the road shoulder and queues leading to rest areas.
“Besides the surge in vehicle volumes towards Jakarta reaching around 2,800 vehicles per hour, congestion is also triggered by queues of vehicles wanting to enter the rest areas,” said Ardam to Kompas.com on Friday (27/3/2026).
He explained that congestion was observed at several points, particularly at KM 188, KM 175, and KM 164 towards Jakarta. At these locations, traffic flow slowed down due to high activity of vehicles entering and exiting rest areas.
Not only that, a number of vehicles experiencing technical issues after travelling long distances from the east also worsened the situation. Many drivers chose to stop on the road shoulder, thus disrupting the smooth flow on the main lane.
On the other hand, physical fatigue of return travellers also played a role in increasing the frequency of vehicles making sudden stops, either on the road shoulder or approaching rest areas.
To alleviate the congestion, the police have implemented traffic engineering in the form of contra-flow (CF) at KM 169 to KM 162 towards Jakarta since 5:30 PM WIB.
In addition, Astra Tol Cipali has enforced a situational open-close system at all rest areas, including at KM 164 and KM 130. This measure is taken to prevent vehicle queues from spilling over onto the main toll road lane.
The toll operator has also added seven tow truck fleets during the 2026 Lebaran mudik and return traffic period to speed up handling of vehicles with disruptions on the road.
In the field, officers along with the police have conducted sweeps and provided direct advisories to road users not to stop on the road shoulder.
As an alternative, road users are advised to rest outside the nearest toll gate. The operator assures that the accumulated toll fare remains the same, so users are not disadvantaged.