Jasa Marga forecasts homecoming traffic to peak on December 24

Jakarta (ANTARA) - State-run toll road operator Jasa Marga has estimated homecoming flow from Greater Jakarta (Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi or Jabodetabek) during 2021 Christmas and New Year 2022 holidays to peak on December 24 and return flow to Jakarta on January 2, 2022.

"We forecast that the peak flow of homecoming from Jabodetabek will occur on December 24, 2021, and the return flow after the 2022 New Year holidays will occur on January 2, 2022," the company's Operation and Maintenance Management Group Head Atika Dara Prahita noted during a virtual press conference on Wednesday.

Jasa Marga estimated that traffic movement at the peak of the homecoming flow on December 24, 2021, will increase by 34.5 percent as compared to the normal traffic flow in November 2021.

Meanwhile, the traffic flow on January 2, 2022, will increase by 26.5 percent as compared to the normal traffic flow in November 2021.

"Especially at KM 66 of the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road, after the meeting point of the elevated toll lanes and the bottom lane of the Jakarta-Cikampek toll road, there will be congestion from most of the vehicles going to the east," Prahita noted.

Jasa Marga has taken several precautionary measures against traffic congestion during the Christmas 2021 and New Year 2022 holidays, such as by forming the JM Task Force for Emergency Anticipation and for the year-end holiday.

It will also supervise the implementation of transportation through the Christmas and New Year's Central Command Post by the Transportation Ministry, identify and handle locations prone to traffic, optimize lane capacity, ensure roadsides are clean from vehicle disturbances, and temporarily stop construction work.

In addition, curative and preventive efforts are being made for puddles on toll roads by coordinating with the police and the Directorate General of Transportation for the implementation of traffic engineering and the regulation for freight transportation operations.

With regard to the readiness of Rest and Service Areas (TIP) during the 2021 Christmas and New Year 2022 holidays, Jasa Marga will coordinate with the police to decide when to open and close the rest area.

Jasa Marga has also implemented health protocols at rest areas and applied the PeduliLindungi application as well as provided service post locations with the COVID-19 Task Force.