Police Can Close Rest Areas, Travellers Advised to Limit Stopover Times

SEMARANG – The surge in Lebaran 2026 homecoming traffic is expected to crowd several rest areas along the Trans Java Toll Road with visitors.

One area of particular concern is Rest Area Km 456, which often goes viral due to its complete facilities and beautiful scenery backed by Mount Merbabu and Mount Sindoro.

Director of PT Astari Marga Sarana (Rest Area Pendopo Km 456), Sutomo, said the number of visitors to the rest area is estimated to increase significantly during the homecoming period.

To anticipate this surge, the operators have optimised parking capacity. On Side A, the normal capacity of 77 vehicles has been increased to around 120 vehicles with the help of temporary markings.

Meanwhile, Side B has a larger capacity of 129 vehicles under normal conditions and can still be expanded.

However, the operators remind homecoming travellers not to linger too long when resting, to allow vehicle turnover and avoid build-ups.

“(Rest time) ideally is 30 minutes. We continuously make announcements via loudspeakers so that visitors take turns with others,” he said.

In certain conditions, handling congestion may also involve the police. If vehicle queues become very long, the rest area can be temporarily closed.

“If the queues are already very high reaching the main toll road lane, then police discretion will be applied. In such conditions, the rest area can be temporarily closed, and we will advise visitors to continue their journey to the next rest area at Km 487 Boyolali,” said Sutomo.

“For electric vehicle users, we are cooperating with Astra Power. There are two dispensers on each side with three nozzles of medium to fast charging capacity, so charging only takes about 20-30 minutes,” he added.

With these various efforts, homecoming travellers are hoped to utilise the rest area wisely. Resting just enough and taking turns is key to keeping the journey smooth without causing congestion at crucial points on the homecoming route.