Facing Lebaran Homecoming 2023 South Central Java Route Checked, 20 Percent Of Roads Damaged, Especially In Ajibarang-Purwokerto

Illustration of the density of Lebaran travelers on non-toll roads. (Between)

CENTRAL JAVA - The southern route of Central Java (Central Java) is one of the alternative routes that travelers take during the Eid al-Fitr 2023 moment. Soon the start of Ramadan 2023, the route is checked for readiness to be crossed by people who are going to return home.

Checks have been carried out since two weeks ago involving the Banyumas Traffic Police, the National Road Implementer, and the Transportation Agency, and the Banyumas Public Works Office.

Head of Traffic Unit of Banyumas Police Kompol Bobby Anugrah Rachman said, apart from road readiness, checking included the completeness of infrastructure and the placement of security posts for the 2023 Eid.

"From the latest monitoring, the current road conditions still have potholes," he said in Purwokerto, Banyumas Regency, Central Java, Tuesday, February 14, as reported by Antara.

Overall, Bobby explained that as much as 20 percent of the roads were damaged or had potholes scattered at a number of points, but most of them were on the Ajibarang-Purwokerto section.

He acknowledged that the erratic weather factor contributed to the road damage.

"The weather factor is often hot, rainy, hot, rainy, causing the asphalt to not be good (peeling)," he said.

Nevertheless, he said the potholes had been mapped for immediate repairs by the relevant agencies.

Based on estimates, he said, the repair of the potholes on the road will be completed before the month of Ramadan so that travelers are expected to be able to travel safely during the homecoming period until they return home.

Furthermore, Kasatlantas said that his party had also installed warning boards and traffic police car ornaments that were given blue lights at a number of traffic accident-prone points.

"Hopefully at night, drivers who start to get sleepy will be refreshed when they see the police car, so they can concentrate on driving again," he explained.

He estimates that the homecoming flow that enters or passes through the Banyumas area on Eid 2023 will experience an increase from 2022 along with various easings after the termination of the status of imposing restrictions on community activities (PPKM).

According to him, this estimate reflects the surge in the 2022 Eid homecoming following the 2020 and 2021 Eid homecoming restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, he said, the Brebes-Ajibarang-Wangon road section which connects the Pantura route from Central Java to the southern route of Central Java remains the mainstay for travelers from Jakarta who want to go to various cities in the central and southern regions of Central Java.

"Especially travelers who use motorbikes will definitely choose via Ajibarang," he stated.