The Thrill of Cruising Around Jakarta Without Traffic: "We'd Even Loop Around Bundaran HI Non-Stop"

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – The Eid al-Fitr holiday always brings a different scene to the streets of the capital, Jakarta. Various roads that are usually crowded with vehicles causing congestion at multiple points are now empty and unobstructed. This smooth traffic condition is welcomed joyfully by residents staying in Jakarta, as it provides a special comfort for travelling during the holiday. “During Eid time like this, we could even cruise around to Bundaran HI back and forth without a care, because it’s so relaxed, no traffic,” said Alwan (26), a native resident of Cengkareng, when met by Kompas.com on Jalan Daan Mogot, West Jakarta, on Friday (20/3/2026). “But once everyone returns, forget it. It’ll be congested again, surely, on all roads, it’s the same everywhere,” Alwan added. Therefore, he holds great hope that Jakarta’s obstacle-free road conditions do not become just a short-lived phenomenon during the Eid exodus season. He believes the government should pay serious attention to handling Jakarta’s longstanding traffic problems. “Imagine if the government could make the roads free of traffic every day, not just during Eid, it would be so nice. It should be like that, so we don’t have to deal with traffic jams every day,” he said. In agreement, online motorcycle taxi (ojol) drivers also enjoy delivering passengers or orders by navigating Jakarta’s roads without congestion. Donal (30), an ojol driver from Taman Sari, West Jakarta, describes this moment of empty streets as a time for Jakarta to rest briefly. “Jakarta is really ‘healing’ during Eid like this, suddenly no traffic, no pollution, getting anywhere becomes quick,” said Donal when met by Kompas.com in the Monas area, Central Jakarta. “If it could be like this without Eid, it would be miraculous, probably only during the Covid pandemic era,” said Arfan. He admits to feeling more comfortable working from morning to night without fatigue, as he no longer needs to get stuck and waste time in traffic jams.