National One-Way System Prepared for Peak Homecoming Rush on 18 March 2026
The Indonesian National Police’s Traffic Corps (Korlantas Polri) has predicted that the peak of the 2026 Lebaran homecoming rush will occur on 18 March. Police are preparing various traffic engineering scenarios, including the implementation of a national one-way system to manage the surge in vehicles heading towards the Trans Java route.
Kakorlantas Polri Inspector General Agus Suryonugroho announced this prediction at a press conference at the Integrated Command Post for Operation Ketupat Lodaya 2026 of the West Java Regional Police at Rest Area KM 57 on the Jakarta–Cikampek Toll Road on Monday evening, 16 March 2026. To date, police records show that approximately 28 per cent of vehicles have left Jakarta heading east and west.
“We announce that I have already coordinated with the Minister and the Director of Jasa Marga; the peak of the homecoming rush is estimated to occur on the 18th,” said Agus.
Korlantas estimates that approximately 3.5 million vehicles will depart from Jakarta towards the Trans Java route as far as Cikupa, Banten, as well as heading towards ferry terminals to Sumatra. Vehicle movement is predicted to continue increasing as the majority of homebound travellers have not yet left the capital.
Agus stated that traffic conditions remain manageable at present despite increasing vehicle volumes. Police are preparing various traffic engineering scenarios on toll roads and arterial routes to anticipate the surge in vehicles in the coming days.
“The projection of three and a half million vehicles that will leave Jakarta towards Trans Java; so far only 28 per cent have departed. This means we are still managing almost 72 per cent of vehicle movement,” he said.
Korlantas has divided security operations during Operation Ketupat into five main clusters. Security measures cover toll roads, national arterial roads, ferry terminals, places of worship, and tourist locations expected to be crowded during the homecoming period.
Traffic engineering measures such as contraflow and one-way systems on toll roads are prepared in accordance with developments in traffic accounting data. The work-from-anywhere (WFA) policy is also considered helpful in spreading the departure times of homebound travellers so they do not accumulate on any single day.
Agus emphasised that Operation Ketupat is not only related to traffic management. The operation is also directed towards maintaining public security during the period of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, and the celebration of Nyepi.
“Operation Ketupat is a humanitarian operation. Safety, order, and smooth flow are the primary priorities,” said Kakorlantas.