Rest Area at KM 57 Overloaded, Travellers Forced to Rest on the Shoulder of the Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road

KOMPAS.com - The situation at the rest area at KM 57 was observed to be extremely crowded today, Thursday (19/3/2026). Travellers who could not enter were forced to rest on the shoulder of the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road to relieve their fatigue. The Indonesian National Police Traffic Corps, upon discovering this, did not immediately prohibit travellers from resting on the toll road shoulder. This is because drivers need rest before continuing their journey. “We also do not dare to force them to stop and then prohibit stopping, because this is particularly for those feeling weary and bored; they really need to feel refreshed again,” explained the Head of Public Relations of the West Java Regional Police, Senior Commissioner Hendra Rochmawan, quoted from Tribunnews. “Because if they are not accommodated, as humans, it will lead to more dangerous fatal consequences in the future,” Hendra added. Hendra had temporarily closed the rest area at KM 57 due to overload, and he understood that travellers needed time to rest to alleviate drowsiness. “The public already has the mindset that after travelling a certain distance, they hope to stop at the rest area,” he said. According to observations by the Indonesian National Police Traffic Corps, the number of travellers passing through the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road towards Central Java continues to increase, and the 2026 mudik flow is considered smooth. The one-way system ensures that the 2026 mudik flow is under control. “With the implementation of the national one-way system starting from Wednesday, 18 March 2026, at 12:30 WIB until the Central Java region, the traffic conditions are observed to be quite controlled,” explained Agus, quoted from Kompas.com, Thursday (19/3/2026). According to the reports he received, Agus detailed the number of travellers passing through the Trans Java toll road sections up to Wednesday. According to him, the mudik flow is quite dense but still moving without significant congestion. Not only on the toll road sections, personnel from the Indonesian National Police Traffic Corps stationed at the Merak-Bakauheni ferry crossing also reported the mudik flow situation there to him.