New regulation sought for motorists during Idul Fitri
New regulation sought for motorists during Idul Fitri
JAKARTA (JP): Head of the Transportation Ministry's West Java office has asked his Jakarta counterpart to cooperate in managing the flow of motorists entering the Cawang-Cikampek toll road during Idul Fitri festivities to avoid traffic jams at the toll gates.
Sunandi said the flow of vehicles entering the toll from the Cawang toll gate, East Jakarta, going to Cikampek, West Java, during Idul Fitri, 1994, was not managed properly. "As a result, the traffic at the Cikampek toll gates came to a complete stand still for more than three hours," he said.
Sunandi made the request on Friday during a coordination meeting between six provincial high-rank officials including the chief of the Jakarta and Central Java offices of the transportation ministry and the Cirebon regent in Cirebon, West Java.
The Cawang-Cikampek toll road will be used by over two million Jakarta residents who want to go to their hometowns in West or East Java to celebrate Idul Fitri. Idul Fitri will fall on March. 3 and 4.
Sunandi said the Jakarta office should start searching for new alternative roads which can be used as detours for the massive flow of vehicles from the Cawang-Cikampek toll road.
"Jakarta's officials should have some alternative roads for people who want to go out of the city during the Idul Fitri celebrations because if they all use the toll roads, they will be congested," he said.
Sunandi told the Antara news agency on Friday that the West Java office will focus on three problems: traffic jams, road accidents and traffic violations.
He said the officials will do their utmost to cope with these problems, especially at important traffic points such as the channel crossing at Merak, the border line of Jakarta, West Java and Central Java, the Puncak-Bogor-Bandung route and the Rancaekek-Malangbong route.
Sunandi also asked the Central Java office to cooperate in controlling vehicles using the southern coastal area to reach Central Java.
The Central Java office chief told reporters that he has prepared some alternative roads in anticipate of the massive flow of vehicles from West Java.
Cirebon Chief Police Col. Sawal Hariadi said that he and his three colleagues, from Priangan and Purwakarta in West Java, and Pekalongan, Central Java, have agreed to exchange all necessary information about traffic situations during Idul Fitri as well as during the days leading up to the Moslem holidays.
Antara reported that the coordination meeting on traffic management has addressed and identify a series of traffic problems which might arise during the Idul Fitri holidays as well as the days before and after the Moslem festivities. (mas)