Jakarta, June 21 (Antara) - Post-fasting Idul Fitri travelers, who want to cross into Bakauheni port in Sumatra from Java's Merak harbor, are expected to conduct the trip during the day to avoid overcrowding of passengers at the ferry port of Merak.
During the Idul Fitri or Lebaran exodus in previous years, travelers usually preferred to make the journey at night to avoid the scorching sun, overcrowding of passengers, and serious congestions at the port.
"We hope travelers would not conduct the trip and cross into Bakauheni during the night in order to ensure that the flow of Lebaran revelers would run smoothly," Land Transportation Director General Pudji Hartanto Iskandar said, while observing the flow of passengers at Merak Port, on Wednesday.
Merak port in the western tip of Java and Bakauheni harbor in the eastern part Sumatra are two main points for travelers seeking to cross the Sunda Strait on their way to Sumatra from Java or to Java from Sumatra.
Passengers, both on their own private vehicles and pedestrians, often arrive simultaneously, causing accumulations of vehicles and traffic congestion at the port. Therefore, travelers are urged to conduct the trip during the day time.
Yet, until Wednesday, there was no drastic increase in the number of passengers at Merak and Bakauheni ferry ports. Till now, the flow of travelers at pier I to pier V of Merak Port is smooth and without any vehicle queues.
All vehicles entering the port's piers can directly get on to the ferries to be transported into Bakauheni harbor of Lampung Province in Sumatra.
"We ensure that the flow of passengers at Merak Port has so far been running well without any obstacles," the director general remarked.
Data at the state-owned waterway transportation service PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry for Merak showed on Tuesday (until 8 p.m.) that the number of passengers ferried was 5,456. Passengers on vehicles were recorded at 28,522.
A total of 34 ferries were used to ferry 4,991 units of vehicles, consisting of 1,022 two-wheelers, 3,164 four-wheelers, 223 units of buses, and 581 trucks.
The director general predicted that the peak of travelers flow would take place on Thursday and Friday, or three and two days (H-3 and H-2) before the Lebaran D-Day on Sunday. Passenger numbers are expected to reach hundreds of thousands of people a day.
"It is better for travelers to cross into Sumatra during the day time to enable the smooth flow of passengers," he stated.
Spokesman of PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry for Merak, Mario Sardadi Oetomo, revealed that his side has made the appeal, hoping that travelers to Sumatra would not be affected by traffic jams and congestion of vehicles at the port.
Departure conducted at night usually causes overcrowding and long queues of passengers at the piers before they could embark on the ferries. "We hope travelers would cross into Bakauheni during the day time," Oetomo affirmed.
PT ASDP has since H-10 (10 days before the D-Day) until H-4 on Wednesday ferried 338,795 passengers from Merak port of Java to Bakauheni port of Lampung in Sumatra.
The number of pedestrian passengers was recorded at 52,102, while those on vehicles totaled 286,693 people.
A total of 15,587 units of motorcycles were ferried, up 37.4 percent during the same period last year, which was 24,914 units. Four-wheelers were 32,567, or down from last year¿s 33,153 units.
Large vehicles such as trucks and buses totaled 48,047, up 3.6 percent from last year, which was 46,392. "We predict the peak of traffic flow on H-3 and H-2 days," Oetomo remarked.
The number of roll-on-roll-off (Roro) ships currently operated by ASDP is 32 units, with a total of 666 trips.
"We are optimistic that our services for travelers crossing from Merak to Bakauheni will be smooth, and Lebaran holiday makers would reach their destinations safely," he added.
In the meantime, the queues of homecoming travelers at the Gilimanuk Ferry Port in the tourist resort of Bali have started to grow longer as they were waiting for their turn to be ferried to Java on Wednesday.
The longest queue was that of motorbike travelers at around 10 a.m. local time and was seen spiraling until the Gilimanuk village head's office about a kilometer from the port. Travelers who went by cars also had to wait for hours before they could enter the port.
"I waited for five hours before I could finally bring my car aboard the ship," Setiawan, one of the travelers in private cars, remarked. Yayan, a travel agency driver, said he had reached Gilimanuk Village at 8 a.m. local time but only managed to board the ship by noon.
Motorbike travelers could enter the vessel quicker, although their queue was longer.
Elvi Yoza, general manager of PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry of the Banyuwangi chapter that also manages Gilimanuk Port, said her company had operated 37 vessels five days ahead of Eid on Sunday.
She could not forecast when the flow of passengers would peak but made assurance that the company would do its best to serve passengers.
"As compared to last year, the number of ferry service users this year has increased ahead of Eid," she pointed out.
This year, the Ministry of Transportation has predicted that a total of 19 million people across the country will travel to their hometown to have reunions with friends and family.
Locally called 'pemudik,' Lebaran travelers, who will cross the Sunda Strait to Sumatra and those from Bali to Java, are expected to throng the ferry ports three to two days before the Lebaran D-Day on Sunday.***1***(a014/INE)EDITED BY INE
(T.A014/A/BESSR/A. Abdussalam) 21-06-2017 22:16 |
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