With 17 people dying as a result of being stuck in traffic jams for tens of hours on the first Trans Java toll road, the Brexit incident was the worst of its kind to have taken place during Eid homecoming in Indonesia, Moeldoko remarked.
"The 2016 Brexit (incident) should not happen again. All ministries and institutions are carrying out precautionary measures. The public should also be ready," he noted at a press conference on the Government's Readiness to Face Hydrometeorological Disasters on Tuesday.
Moeldoko stated that the government has prepared the best services for the community ahead of the Eid homecoming and return flows, including facing the risk of hydrometeorological disasters.
He then drew attention to the importance of efforts to build community preparedness and awareness to deal with the possibility of undesirable accidents during travel.
"During homecoming, travelers need to prepare food, drinks, their car, and fuel," he reminded.
The Ministry of Transportation estimates that more than 193 million people will travel for Eid homecoming, an increase of 60 percent as compared to 123 million travelers in 2023.
Of that figure, travelers from the Jakarta-Bogor-Depok-Tangerang-Bekasi (Jabodetabek) area are predicted to reach 28 million.
Millions of travelers are also forecast to travel by multimodal means, both public transportation -- land, sea, and air -- and private vehicles, including motorbikes.
According to a member of the PUPR Ministry's Toll Road Regulatory Agency (BPJT) Tulus Abadi, travelers must be aware of several aspects during homecoming.
Firstly, the public is suggested to go home earlier to avoid the peak flow of homecoming that is expected to occur on D-4, or April 6, 2024.
Second, the public must be aware of accidents on toll roads, especially those that result in fatalities, namely permanent disability or death. More than 70 percent of the accidents on toll roads are due to human factors, for instance, drowsiness, and also vehicle reliability factors, such as tire bursts.
Hence, the driver must be healthy and have enough rest, Abadi emphasized.
Moreover, homecoming travelers are suggested to abstain from using bald or retreaded tires. Several cases of accidents on toll roads are triggered by the aquaplaning phenomenon wherein the tires cannot grip firmly, as the road is wet or the tires are bald.
Abadi also remarked that homecoming travelers should ensure sufficient balance on their cards to pay for toll fees, especially amid tariff hikes on several toll road sections on Trans-Java, starting from the Jakarta-Cikampek section to the Surabaya-Gresik section.
Related news: Police chief, ministers discuss 2023 Eid homecoming readiness
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Translator: Yashinta Difa P, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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