Transport prepared for Idul Fitri exodus

Transport prepared for Idul Fitri exodus

JAKARTA (JP): The continuing crisis may be no obstacle to the
traditional end-of-the-fasting month family gathering of Idul
Fitri, and the government is gearing up to prepare for this
year's expected exodus of 16.92 million people from various
cities next month.

Last year's exodus involved 18.49 million people,
Communications Minister Giri Suseno Hadihardjono said on Monday.

As in previous years, the ministry would coordinate the
transportation system during the most celebrated Muslim holiday
by deploying a colossal armada of buses, trains, ships and
airplanes, Giri said.

It would deploy 408 passenger and cargo ships, 93 aircraft, 93
ferries, 238 trains, and 21,300 intercity buses and 12 terminals
for the January season, he said.

It would also coordinate traffic in areas prone to high
traffic density, beginning at least a week before the Idul Fitri
holiday which will likely fall on Jan. 19 and 20, he said.

Giri said next year's Idul Fitri would be marked by a slowdown
in the transportation sector, which had suffered from an increase
in component prices and operational costs while revenues remained
low.

"The supply of transportation has drastically shrunk; airline
fleets declined to a total of about 90 aircraft in October; only
60 percent of inter-city buses are operating, while the number of
city buses has dropped by an average of 50 percent," he said.

"In Jakarta only 30 percent of the buses are operating," he
added.

Giri said the economic crisis had also given way to an
increase in crimes committed against motorists and public
transportation passengers such as scams, theft, and vandalism.

Many road signs and much equipment including traffic lights,
signal cables, and telecommunication cables have been stolen or
vandalized, jeopardizing the safety of motorists.

Giri said the government also anticipated the anomalous
weather pattern known as La Nina would cause many natural
disasters this season.

Over 16 months of economic crisis has led to an 8 percent drop
in the number of passengers to 16.22 million in the Idul Fitri
holiday next January from 18.49 million earlier this year.

Airline passenger numbers would drop the most with a 35
percent fall, followed by a 15 percent reduction in sea
passengers and one of 8 percent in ground transportation
passengers.

Giri cited several points, roads and routes vulnerable to high
traffic density during the Idul Fitri holiday.

They include the Cikopo and Cileungsi toll exits, the Bogor-
Ciawi-Sukabumi junction, the Puncak area, the Sukabumi road, and
the Padalarang junction, all located in West Java.

The most heavily subscribed marine routes would include
Jakarta-Medan (North Sumatra), Jakarta-Pontianak (West
Kalimantan), Surabaya (East Java)- Banjarmasin (South
Kalimantan), and Surabaya-Ujungpandang (South Sulawesi), he said.

The busiest airline routes will be Jakarta-Medan, Jakarta-
Pontianak, Jakarta-Pangkal Pinang (Riau) and Jakarta-Denpasar.
(das)