National Police Implement Nationwide One-Way Traffic System on 18 March: Times and Routes Explained
Indonesia’s National Traffic Police Corps (Korlantas Polri) will implement a nationwide one-way traffic system on 18 March 2026, coinciding with the predicted peak of the Lebaran exodus that year. The decision was made following intensive coordination between the Traffic Corps leadership, the government, and toll road operators.
Korlantas Polri Chief Inspector General Agus Suryonugroho explained that the peak mudik (homecoming) flow was estimated to occur on 18 March, with the one-way system to be enforced between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. on that date. However, Agus stressed that the implementation of the scheme remains dynamic and flexible, with the National Police heavily dependent on real-time field data before making final decisions during critical hours.
“Once the traffic accounting technology infrastructure can be controlled, it may also change for a nationwide one-way or a staged one-way system that will naturally be announced to the public,” he noted.
Regarding the possibility of implementing a nationwide one-way system during the return journey, the Traffic Corps indicated it would conduct further evaluation, with current traffic conditions deemed sufficiently manageable.
As part of Operation Ketupat 2026 for securing the Lebaran exodus, the National Police has prepared various Traffic Engineering Management scenarios including contraflow, local one-way, and nationwide one-way systems.
In the initial phase, the one-way system will be applied from kilometre 70 to kilometre 236—a longer distance compared to the previous year which only reached kilometre 188. This expansion aims to prevent vehicle accumulation at critical points in Central Java.
“If congestion still occurs, the scheme will be immediately extended to kilometre 414,” Agus concluded.
The one-way system will extend from the Kalikangkung Toll Gate in Semarang to the Cikampek Utama Toll Gate. PT Pertamina Patra Niaga has confirmed fuel availability at toll routes will remain secure during the Lebaran exodus and return journey in 2026.
The Lebaran 2026 exodus is predicted to be one of the largest mass movements, with an estimated 143.9 million people participating. The major wave of travellers entering Central Java is anticipated during the peak mudik period on 18-19 March 2026.