National Police Prepare Traffic Engineering Measures for Eid 2026 Exodus, Including Odd-Even and One-Way Schemes

Jakarta – The Indonesian National Police (Polri) are preparing several traffic engineering measures during Operation Ketupat 2026 to anticipate surges in vehicle numbers during the Eid exodus and return journey.

Deputy Police Commander General Dedi Prasetyo stated that the traffic engineering scheme would be implemented on various toll road sections and congestion-prone points.

“To ensure the operation runs smoothly, there will be several traffic management and engineering activities on toll routes, including odd-even licence plate restrictions, one-way systems, contraflow arrangements, delayed exit systems, and buffer zones at ports,” Dedi said when met at the Police Education and Training Centre in Jakarta on Monday, 2 March 2026.

Dedi further informed that Polri would conduct Operation Ketupat 2026 over 13 days, from 13 March to 25 March 2026, involving 161,243 personnel from various agencies.

He also presented survey results from the Ministry of Transportation, which estimated that public movement during the 2026 Eid holiday could reach 143.9 million people.

“This figure represents a decline compared to 2025 by 2.57 million people or 1.75 per cent. According to the Ministry of Transportation’s survey for 2025, the figure was 146.4 million people,” he explained.

Despite the decline shown in the survey, Polri remained cautious about the possibility of increased vehicle numbers on the ground, particularly as the exodus period coincided with the Nyepi holiday celebration.

The peak exodus is predicted to occur in two waves: 14-15 March 2026 and 18-19 March 2026.

Meanwhile, the peak return journey is expected to occur on 25-26 March 2026 and 28-29 March 2026.

In addition to traffic management, Polri deployed 2,746 checkpoints comprising 1,624 security posts, 779 service posts, and 343 integrated posts to secure 185,608 critical locations, including places of worship, shopping centres, terminals, railway stations, ports, airports, and tourist attractions.

“Additionally, Polri is optimising the 110 hotline service for complaints, emergency reports, and public needs when they require police assistance,” he added.