"We know that about 107 million people are projected to travel during the year-end holiday. Most of them are predicted to head to tourism destinations," Sumadi said at a roll call held to ensure safety and security during the holidays in Jakarta on Thursday.
The minister noted that in order to ensure the preparedness and feasibility of means of mass transportation, especially buses, the Ministry of Transportation had conducted a ramp check on tourism buses and interregional buses.
He explained that the check was carried out as a precautionary measure, given that buses are among the most popular means of transportation for tourism travels.
Sumadi also remarked that heavy flow of vehicles is projected to occur at the Cikopo-Palimanan (Cipali) Toll Road while noting that the toll road is connected to the Cileunyi-Sumedang-Dawuan (Cisumdawu) Toll Road.
He remarked that the ministry had been collaborating with regional transportation offices and traffic police to prepare traffic engineering to prevent congestion.
"We, along with the traffic police and transportation offices in regions, have devised measures for conducting traffic engineering," he pointed out.
Furthermore, he noted that the government will continue to monitor various locations where heavy flows of travelers are expected to occur, such as the Ketapang Port in East Java, Gilimanuk Port in Bali, Merak Port in Banten, and Bakauheni Port in Lampung.
He urged people to not use motorbikes for long-distance travels and encouraged them to opt for mass public transportation or participate in free travel programs organized by the Transportation Ministry and other parties.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief of the National Police (Polri) Agus Andrianto has revealed that as many as 79 thousand police officers and 59 thousand military personnel will be dispatched to maintain security during the long holidays.
"We need to properly prepare ourselves to provide the finest services to those traveling, given that the people's mobility this year is predicted to increase by 60 percent as compared to that of last year," he said.
Acting Governor of Jakarta Heru Budi Hartono, Head of Polri's Traffic Corps Brigadier General Aan Suhanan, and Chief of the Greater Jakarta Regional Police Inspector General Karyoto also attended the roll call.
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Translator: Adimas R, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Tia Mutiasari
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