Military commander targets completion of Gilimanuk port queue before Nyepi
Denpasar — The Commander of Military Region IX/Udayana, Major General Piek Budyakto, has set a target to clear the long queues at Gilimanuk Port by 18 March 2026, one day before Nyepi (Balinese New Year).
“Hopefully by today and tomorrow and the day after, all the queues can be cleared. As the Regional Police Chief mentioned, by 18 March those leaving Bali during the holiday exodus should be completely done,” he said in Denpasar on Monday.
Major General Piek explained during a Coordination Meeting on Handling Social Conflicts with the Governor of Bali and the Bali Regional Police that he had personally surveyed the exodus route to Gilimanuk Port on Sunday (15 March).
He acknowledged potential traffic density risks but clarified that the problem is long queues for ferries rather than gridlock as reported on various social media platforms.
“It’s not gridlock, it’s a queue. Gridlock and a queue are different things. With gridlock, vehicles ahead don’t move, but here vehicles are moving—there’s just a long queue,” he said.
The Commander noted that conditions at Gilimanuk Port have been gradually improving. On Saturday (14 March), the queue lasted 15 hours, while the following day it was reduced to 10 hours.
The military region has implemented various measures in collaboration with Bali police for traffic management, including using their base as a rest area for holiday travellers waiting in the queue.
Major General Piek is confident the queue will continue to diminish and be completely cleared by the evening of Pengerupukan (the night before Nyepi).
The same commitment was made by Bali Regional Police Chief Inspector General Daniel Adityajaya. After reports emerged of a 37-kilometre exodus queue in Bali, his team immediately held discussions to determine measures to complete the clearance by 18 March.
“We also discussed why reports emerged on social media about a 37-kilometre total gridlock in Bali. There’s some truth to it, but not entirely accurate. So these past few days we’ve been determining how to process people leaving Bali,” he said.
For Nyepi purposes, Bali police are concerned not only with outbound queues but also incoming traffic.
Although fewer people travel into Bali compared to those leaving, Bali police have decided to restrict vehicles entering at Gilimanuk Port ahead of Nyepi.
Daniel explained this approach considers the situation during the ogoh-ogoh parades (Pengerupukan) across Bali, which could cause congestion.
“Vehicles entering Bali ahead of Nyepi will definitely be delayed and may be stranded on the road. The journey from Gilimanuk to Denpasar, normally four to five hours, could take ten to eleven hours. We’re concerned that when it reaches 06.00 in the morning (Nyepi time), they’ll still be on the road, so this requires mitigation,” he said.