Brexit continues to be the main obstacle."Brebes (ANTARA News) - Traffic jams that started on Friday were still continuing to mar the flow of vehicles and people in Brebes, Central Java, on Wednesday.
Private cars and buses were stuck in the traffic jam for hours, ANTARA News learned.
Wahyudi, a street vendor in the area, said such jams were being witnessed since Friday (July 1), and were continuing till now.
Even at 16.45pm, thousands of home-bound travelers were still trapped in gridlocks in Brebes.
The chief of operations of the National Traffic Police, Senior Commissioner Benyamin, earlier admitted the East Brebes Toll Gate, called "Brexit" (Brebes Timur Exit), was where a large number of home-bound travelers stuck.
Also, among other factors for the jam were the additional travelers from Jakarta that resulted in the congestion at the gate.
"Brexit continues to be the main obstacle," he pointed out at the Traffic Management Center in Jakarta on Monday.
"There are a lot of factors involved, but the fact is that the existing road network cannot accommodate the increased number of vehicles," he added.
Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan denied that the heavy traffic jam in Brebes had resulted in the death of some travelers.
He argued that the travelers who died during the journey must have had health problems earlier and their condition became worse when they were caught in the traffic jam.
"I have never heard in my life that a traffic jam can cause death. I believe if they did not have any health problems, they would not have died. It is impossible for traffic jams to cause deaths," he explained at an open house at the vice presidents palace.
He stressed that a healthy person remains alright even after fasting for more than 12 hours, and so it was impossible for a traveler to die just because he/she had to sit in a car for 12 hours to wait for the congestion to clear.
"Some said a 12-hour long jam had caused dehydration. How could that be? Those who kept fasts did not drink for more than 12 hours and they are okay. These travelers only sat in their vehicles. So, I believe they must have had health problems before," he reasoned.
Twelve travelers were reported to have died during the long traffic jam along the Pejagan-Breber toll road section on Monday (July 4).
The health service in Brebes believed the travelers died because they were in poor health when they undertook the journey. As for the ambulances, these arrived too late because of the congestion.
Antara learned that a traveler was believed to have died because of fatigue after she was trapped in a traffic jam on Monday.
"We tried to help save Suharti (50) who seemed very tired but failed," the head of sports and scouts affairs of the Central Java chapter of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Amir Darmanto, informed when contacted by phone from Semarang, the capital of Central Java.
He explained that Suharti disembarked from the Sumber Alam bus bound for Yogyakarta and approached the PKS command post to relieve herself but fainted before she entered the facility.
"Our health team immediately extended help and took her to the community health center as she was in a critical condition. Upon arrival at the nearest health center, and having negotiated a traffic jam, she was found dead on arrival," he disclosed.
"We did all we could but God loved her more in the blessed month and this morning her body was taken to her home in Yogyakarta," he mentioned.
In view of that, Amir appealed to travelers to prepare themselves really well to prevent any eventuality in case of traffic jams.
(Reporting Agus Salim/Uu.H-YH/INE/KR-BSR)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
