Simple ways can ensure smooth road home on Idul Fitri

By Christiani S.A. Tumelap

JAKARTA (JP): Planning to join the exodus to hometowns this Idul Fitri holiday? Barring major calamities, simple precautions and a careful examination of alternate routes can remove some of the stress of the long road home.

That oft-repeated advice to have your vehicle checked by a qualified mechanic should be kept in mind. Those in a hurry can still have it looked over at service stations set up in strategic areas, including the north coast route and the roads to East Java.

Road travelers heading to Sumatra take the toll road to the Merak harbor and catch the ferry to Lampung's Bakauheni harbor.

From there it is about 92 kilometers along the coastline to Bandar Lampung. An interesting stop on the journey is Kalianda beach where a tourist resort, touted as environmentally friendly, is under development.

The route to Palembang passes Branti, Bandarjaya, Gunungbatin and Mesuji in the direction of Kayu Agung.

A potential obstacle along this route is the flood-prone area between Gunungbatin and Menggala.

To Bengkulu, the route passes Bandarjaya before a turn toward Kotabumi, Bukitkemuning, Padang Tambak and Umbulan Balam. The last two areas and Liwa are known for landslides.

If the destination is Bandung in West Java, it is recommended to use the toll road to Cikampek and proceed through Subang. Other routes, including Bogor, Citeurep and Ciawi, will be designated specifically for return routes to Jakarta.

On the way back to the capital, be on guard for accident-heavy areas, like Jl. Raya Cipanas and Jl. Raya Ciloto in Cianjur, and Jl. Raya Parung Kuda and Jl. Raya Sindang Wenang in Sukabumi.

Jl. Raya Cibinong, Jl. Raya Citeurep and Jl. A. Yani are trouble spots in Bogor.

Toll roads do save time, but brace for a long line of vehicles from the end of the Cikampek toll road.

Thousands of private cars and public buses will head for the last gate, Cikopo, as it leads the way to all destinations, particularly cities in Central and East Java.

Traffic authorities project that at least 41,000 cars will pass through this gate daily at the holiday's peak, roughly a 200 percent increase from the 17,000 vehicles at regular times.

Bottlenecks

West Java had initially calculated an 80 percent increase in the total number of vehicles passing through the province.

But this estimation is expected to drop slightly due to canceled travel plans because of the monetary crisis.

Former West Java traffic police chief, Col. S. Sitompul, said Cikopo was not the only bottleneck to be wary of on this route.

"It is the first of eight you may find between Cikampek and Pamanukan alone."

But he said drivers should be able to reach Losari from Cikopo in about eight hours with assistance from the traffic authorities.

Sitompul said all the eight ramps at the Cikopo gate would be oused as exits only beginning Jan. 26 to help ease heavy traffic.

Do your own part to speed things up by preparing exact change for the toll booths.

All vehicles will be detoured to go through the Pamanukan or Subang routes before they reach Cirebon.

Expect backed-up traffic along this route at Sadang train crossing, Ciganea, Ciater and Jl. Cagak.

Pamanukan has its own share of jams; the Klari train crossing, the Jomin three-point junction and Cinangka toll gate.

These are due to several area bridges and poor roads.

Bumper-to-bumper traffic will likely continue in Loh Bener subdistrict, Jatibarang and Palimanan before Cirebon.

The alternative through Loh Bener and Indramayu may be just as troublesome due to its damaged roads.

Take extra care along the main route between Loh Bener and Jatibarang to Palimanan. It can be dangerous during heavy rainfall as the roads are built lower than the adjacent rivers.

The market area on Jl. Major Dasuki, for example, can be inundated by up to 30 centimeters.

Chief of the Cirebon police, Col. Sukandani, acknowledged the likelihood of lengthy traffic jams due to the poor infrastructure and an increase from 10 percent to 25 percent in the number of vehicles passing through the area.

He said officers would be assigned to direct traffic along the route at posts set up at distances of three kilometers.

Traffic may be eased with the opening of the 20-kilometer-long toll road between Palimanan and Gebang. But the section connecting Gebang and the border area, Losari, is unfinished.

If headed to Purwokerto or Yogyakarta in Central Java, the southern coast route is an alternative to the more popular northern roads.

Gas stations

Drive from Cirebon to Ciamis, passing through Kuningan and Kawali, and head to Purwokerto through Banjar, Majenang, Sidareja, Wangon and Ajibarang.

Be careful in areas prone to flooding and landslides, especially near Wangon.

No need to worry about running out of gasoline because there are many gas stations along both routes.

There are four stations between Ciamis and Purwokerto, one each from Ciamis to Banjar and near Majenang, and two more outside Wangon.

The northern route to Purwokerto goes through Brebes and Tegal before turning to Slawi, Prupuk and Bumiayu.

Headaches may be encountered in landslide-prone areas near Slawi and traffic jams on the approach to Prupuk.

The route between Prupuk and Bumiayu is also notorious for its traffic accidents.

In Purwokerto, unwind at a nearby tourist spot in Baturaden or go straight on to Yogyakarta through Magelang or Kebumen.

The northern route has more flood-vulnerable areas before Semarang because of the proximity to the coastline.

Some of these are located near Brebes, Pekalongan, Cepiring, Kendal and Kaliwungu.

From Semarang, there is an alternate road to Yogyakarta, passing through Ungaran, Salatiga and Boyolali. However, conditions are poor and accidents often occur at Bawen, Sruwen and Delanggu.

The southern route toward Jember and Banyuwangi in East Java passes through small towns like Wonosari, Pacitan, Trenggalek, Tulungagung, Blitar, Turen and Tempeh.

If headed to Surabaya, it would be better to take the northern route from Semarang through Demak, Kudus, Pati, Rembang, Tuban and down to Lamongan.

It may not be all easy riding; Demak and the area between Jakulo and Pati often flood during heavy rainfall.

Beautiful scenery can take your mind off the road.

There are many salt mines along the route, and the famed jambal roti -- dried, salted fish -- is available at roadside stalls. A medium fish sells for about Rp 10,000.

From Surabaya, ferry service is available to Madura island. If home is further east in Banyuwangi, travel through Sidoarjo, Pasuruan, Probolinggo, Situbondo and Ketapang to that city, the departure point for Bali.