Community Movement During Christmas And New Year Holidays Predicted To Reach 107.63 Million People

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi. (Photo: Doc. ANTARA)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Transportation through the Transportation Policy Agency (BKT) issued the results of an online survey of potential community movements during the 2023 Christmas and 2024 New Year (Nataru) holidays, which are predicted to reach 107.63 million people.

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi said the number of movements reached 39.83 percent of the total national population.

"During the Nataru holiday last year, it was predicted that 44.17 million people will move, while this year it is predicted that 107.63 million people will be. So the increase is very significant above one hundred percent (143.65 percent)," he said in an official statement, Jakarta, Monday, November 20.

Based on the survey results, continued Budi, the reason people travel during the Nataru holiday, the highest is a vacation to tourist sites of 45.29 percent. Then, the holiday return home as much as 30.15 percent and celebrate Nataru in her hometown as much as 18.98 percent.

Furthermore, the choice of transportation modes used to travel is dominated by the use of private vehicles, namely cars 35.57 percent or 39.97 million people and motorbikes 17.92 percent or 20.14 million people.

"As for public transportation, movement is dominated by rail modes of 13.16 percent or 14.79 million people. Planes 11.91 percent or 13.38 million people; buses 10.94 percent or 12.29 million people; ferry ships 6.04 percent or 6.78 million people and ships 3.44 percent or 3.86 million people, "he explained.

Furthermore, continued Budi, transportation nodes that will be crowded with passengers from both their origin and destination, including Senen Station, Gambir Station, Sidoarjo Station, Bandung Station, Tugu Station, and Medan Amplas Type A Terminal.

"Terminal Type A Purbaya, Merak Ferry Port, Tanjung Perak Port, Tenau Port, Soekarno Hatta Airport, and Ngurah Rai Airport," he said.

"By seeing the large number of movements to tourist sites and the large use of cars and motorbikes," continued Budi, it is necessary to prepare steps to anticipate traffic regulation at crucial points.

"We will coordinate intensively with local governments, police, toll road managers, BMKG, the National SAR Agency, and other related elements," he said.

Meanwhile, Head of BKT Robby Kurniawan explained that the results of this survey can provide an overview or portrait of the trend of community mobilization during the Nataru holiday.

"But the results of this survey are not a substitute for realization data that reflects actual or actual circumstances," said Robby.

Furthermore, Robby explained, the results of this survey became the basis and input for the preparation of operational plans (renops) for the implementation of Christmas and New Year's Transportation 2023/2024 carried out by the Ministry of Transportation, Ministries/Institutions, and also other related parties.

As for a number of inputs or recommendations to local governments, namely promoting bundling tariffs for urban mass transportation with tourist destinations to attract public interest in using public transportation.

Furthermore, formulating policies for traffic safety and smoothness, adding security personnel, adding arterial road safety facilities in the regions, and repairing road infrastructure infrastructure.

Meanwhile, recommendations to other relevant agencies are regulating traffic engineering management, regulating capacity or space in rest areas with notifications, adding public street lighting on toll roads, limiting types of freight transport on peak dates, providing early warnings of extreme weather, and standby rescue and search for help in vulnerable areas and tours.