Major Roads in Depok City Unexpectedly Quiet During Long Holiday
Roads in Depok City, West Java, usually heavily congested on weekends, are unusually quiet. Vehicle volume has decreased drastically.
During Media Indonesia’s observation on Saturday (May 16th), major roads such as Jalan Margonda, Jalan Raya Bogor, Jalan Nusantara, and Jalan Akses Universitas Indonesia, Kelapa Dua, were easily navigable with high speeds. Vehicles traveling from Jakarta to Depok or vice versa were less congested than usual during holidays. The vehicles were mainly motorcycles, private cars, and public transportation (angkot).
Depok resident Jalampong Rajagukguk said that the roads in Depok City have been quiet for the past three days. “For the past three days (May 14-16, 2026), since Ascension Day on Thursday, I have seen that the major roads in Depok City are quiet. Is it because people are going out of town for the long holiday? This is amazing,” he said.
He said that usually, every weekend, Jalan Margonda and Jalan Raya Bogor are so congested that motorcycles use the sidewalks every morning. He admitted that this condition rarely happens. In fact, usually, from 06:00 to 08:00, the major roads in Depok City are congested.
“This anomaly is rare; it’s uncommon for the roads to be this quiet and smooth,” he told Media Indonesia.
Similarly, Denni, another commuter, said he was surprised that Jalan Margonda and other major roads, which are usually congested, were suddenly quiet. He hopes that this condition can happen every day. “Hopefully, it will be like this from now on, quiet. It’s rare for it to be this quiet, and it’s nice when it is,” he said.
The Head of the Traffic Division of the Depok City Transportation Department, Ari Manggala Harahap, admitted that the major roads were quiet during the long holiday and weekend. However, he said that the Depok City Transportation Department continues to optimize real-time and periodic monitoring of traffic flow in various areas to ensure smooth, safe, and comfortable travel for road users.
“We from the Transportation Department monitor traffic density and volume through the Area Traffic Control System (ATCS) screen, which is directly connected to hundreds of CCTV cameras at strategic intersections and major roads,” he said. (H-4)
During the Ascension Day long holiday, the Directorate General of Land Transportation of the Ministry of Transportation conducted a road transport safety inspection. Managers of tourist attractions recorded that the number of tourists visiting the tourist attractions increased during the Ascension Day long holiday. PT KAI Daop 4 Semarang recorded that the volume of passengers on long-distance trains, both arriving and departing, during the Ascension Day holiday and weekend from May 13-14, 2026, reached 88,699 people. The Cianjur Police deployed 56 personnel and a traffic management team on the Puncak-Cianjur route to anticipate traffic congestion during the May 2026 long holiday. PT Jasamarga Transjawa Toll (JTT) implemented contraflow traffic engineering on the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road KM 55-65 to alleviate traffic congestion during the long holiday.