Backflow Increases 68 Percent, Jasa Marga Records 222 Thousand Vehicles Back To Jabotabek

Illustration of backflow (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - PT Jasa Marga (Persero) Tbk. noted, as many as 222,326 vehicles returned to the Jabotabek area on D+1 Lebaran 2023 or until Monday, April 24, 2023.

This number is the cumulative number of traffic flows (traffic) from the four Main Toll Gates (GT), namely GT Cikupa (from Merak), GT Ciawi (from Puncak), and GT Cikampek Utama (from the direction of Trans Java), and GT Kalihurip Utama (from the direction of Bandung).

"The total volume of traffic returning to the Jabotabek area increased by 68.17 percent compared to normal traffic with a total of 132,201 vehicles. When compared to the Lebaran 2022 period, the total traffic volume increased by 13.75 percent with a total of 195,453 vehicles," said PT Jasa Marga's Corporate Communication & Community Development Group Head Lisye Octaviana in a written statement, Tuesday, April 25.

"Meanwhile, when compared with the prediction of the 2023 Eid traffic volume in the same period, the total traffic volume is 6.6 percent lower with a total of 238,022 vehicles," he added.

For traffic distribution back to Jabotabek from three directions, namely the majority of 131,170 vehicles (59.0 percent) from the East (Trans Java and Bandung), 48,902 vehicles (22.0 percent) from the West (Merak), and 42,254 vehicles (19.0 percent) from the South (Puncak) direction.

The details of the distribution of traffic include traffic returning to Jabotabek from the direction of Trans Java via GT Cikampek Utama Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road, with a total of 73,010 vehicles, an increase of 161.94 percent from normal traffic, then traffic returning to Jabotabek from the direction of Bandung via the Kalihurip Utama GT of the Cipularang Toll Road, with a total of 58,160 vehicles, an increase of 94.77 percent from normal traffic.

"The total traffic returning to Jabotabek from the direction of Trans Java and Bandung through the two GTs is 131,170 vehicles or an increase of 127.20 percent from normal traffic," said Lisye.

Then, traffic returned to Jabotabek from Merak via the Cikupa GT Tangerang-Merak Toll Road as many as 48,902 vehicles or an increase of 8.91 percent from normal traffic.

"Meanwhile, the number of vehicles returning to Jabotabek from Puncak via GT Ciawi Jagorawi Toll Road was 42,254 vehicles, an increase of 42.92 percent from normal traffic," said Lisye.

Lisye added that the number of vehicles returning to Jabotabek had only reached 14 percent of the prediction of backflow of 1.6 million vehicles in the period H + 1 to D + 7 Lebaran 2023.

"When entering GT Cikampek Utama Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road, Jasa Marga urges road users to comply with signs and directions from officers because the slightest disturbance that occurs will have an impact on the existing traffic flow and result in queues of vehicles," he said.

It did not stop there, Jasa Marga also appealed to travelers to avoid travel at the predicted time to peak backflow, namely on April 24-25, 2023, and April 30 to May 1, 2023, to avoid accumulation of vehicles.

"The government and Jasa Marga also urge road users who do not have an urgent need to avoid the peak of backflow by delaying/resigning their return trip to Jabotabek on Wednesday/Thursday/Friday (April 26-28, 2023) for a more comfortable trip," explained Lisye.

"At the same time, we can take advantage of a 20 percent toll rate discount for continuous trips from Semarang to Jakarta with a balance after a discount of Rp. 297,600 for class I vehicles (originally Rp. 372,000) which is valid on Thursday, April 27, 2023 at 06.00 WIB until Saturday, April 29, 2023 at 06.00 WIB," he concluded.