Parliament's Frustration: Chronic Traffic Bottlenecks Re-emerge Every Eid Holiday Travel Season
Jakarta – Parliament’s Commission V has highlighted numerous transportation points that consistently become sources of congestion during Eid holiday travel season. These bottlenecks have reportedly not been adequately resolved despite being recurring issues almost every year.
Lasarus, Chairman of Commission V of the House of Representatives (DPR RI), stated that the surge in population movement during this year’s Eid al-Fitr period remains very substantial, requiring much stronger cross-sectoral coordination. Based on Commission V’s preliminary data analysis, an estimated 143.9 million people are expected to undertake mudik (homeward travel) journeys in 2026.
“The movement of 143.9 million people also means approximately 50.60% of Indonesia’s population of 287.6 million people will travel simultaneously within the same timeframe,” Lasarus said during a meeting with the government.
Although this figure represents a slight decrease compared to the previous year, the scale of population mobility remains a major challenge for the government in maintaining smooth Eid travel flows.
One particularly highlighted issue involves several transportation hubs that almost consistently become congestion points annually. Lasarus even described this problem as unfinished homework that never gets completed.
“For instance, on the Jakarta-Merak toll road, the Cipali toll road, the Merak-Bakauheni ferry terminal, and the Ketapang-Gilimanuk port. It’s as though we never finish here; it’s like taking a course where the credit hours never get passed,” he said.
“Particularly the Merak-Bakauheni route—we experience problems there almost every year,” Lasarus added.
Accidents from damaged roads
Beyond congestion issues, parliament also stressed the importance of road infrastructure repairs before the travel season begins. Poor road conditions continue to trigger traffic accidents.
“Based on data compiled by Commission V of the House of Representatives, at least 19 traffic accidents were caused by pothole-filled or damaged roads, resulting in 49 injured persons and 6 deaths between August 2025 and the end of February 2026,” he said.
He emphasised that road damage management is actually already regulated under Law Number 22 of 2009 concerning Road Traffic and Transportation. Under this regulation, negligence in handling damaged roads can even result in criminal penalties.
On another front, Commission V also highlighted the dominant use of private vehicles during this year’s travel period. Estimates from the Transport Policy Agency of the Ministry of Transportation show that the majority of travellers will use cars.
“The Transport Policy Agency of the Ministry of Transportation estimates that this year at least 76.24 million people will choose to travel by car, or approximately 52.98% of the total population undertaking mudik journeys,” Lasarus said.
Therefore, he requested that the government ensure optimal traffic management engineering and that all operating vehicles are genuinely roadworthy through strict ramp-check procedures.
“It is better not to depart than never to arrive or never to return,” he concluded.