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)