SBY asks travel operators to put safety first

JAKARTA. As the annual exodus gained momentum on Thursday, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono urged operators of various modes of public transportation to prioritize the safety of all passengers.

“The safety of all passengers should be a priority. Provide them with the best service as well,” Yudhoyono told officials by video link from the Transportation Ministry’s holiday traffic command post in Jakarta.

Via the link Yudhoyono monitored a number of bus stations, seaports, railway stations and airports, including Tirtonadi bus terminal in Surakarta, Central Java, Gubeng train station in Surabaya, East Java, and Sultan Hassanuddin International Airport in Makassar, South Sulawesi. “To the passengers, keep yourselves safe,” he said.

The local officials assured the President they were all prepared for the traffic surge at the peak of the exodus for Idul Fitri, which is expected to take place from Friday to Sunday.

At the same event, Deputy Transportation Minister Bambang Susantono said the ferry traffic between Merak Port in Banten and Bakaheuni Port in Lampung was smooth, while airlines had prepared extra flights to anticipate the increasing numbers of passengers.

The Transportation Ministry has estimated that around 28 million people will join the annual exodus this year, up 7 percent from last year. Over half of the travelers will use public transportation.

Meanwhile, the northern lane of the damaged Comal Bridge in Pemalang, Central Java, was reopened for small vehicles on Thursday at 2:40 a.m. The southern lane can still only be used by pedestrians.

Heavy vehicles such as trucks will not be allowed to use either lane, while buses must make a 30-kilometer diversion to avoid the bridge.

“We’re monitoring the bridge as it is still damaged,” head of the Public Works Ministry’s Bina Marga operations unit overseeing Kendal-Brebes, Sumarjono, said.

The bridge partially collapsed on July 18, causing severe traffic disruption.

In Ciamis regency, West Java, another bridge over the Cibaruyan River subsided, causing two-hour delays for buses coming from the east heading to the Cicaheum bus station in Bandung.

West Java Transportation Agency head Dedi Taufik said the main route in the southern part of the province had been closed and all vehicles would be rerouted until emergency repairs to the bridge were completed in the next two days.

Vehicles from Tasikmalaya will be rerouted through Rajapolah-Sindang Kasih before returning to Banjar. Meanwhile, vehicles coming from the opposite direction will be rerouted in Banjar to pass through Kawali-Panambungan and back to the main route in Tasikmalaya city.

Separately, following urine tests conducted by North Sumatra National Narcotics Agency (BNN) to safeguard the annual exodus in the province on Thursday, four bus drivers were found to have consumed marijuana.

Based on the findings, the BNN ordered the transportation companies that employed the drivers to immediately replace them.

“They are banned from driving vehicles during the Idul Fitri exodus,” North Sumatra BNN head Sr. Comr. Rudi Trenggono said.

He added that the four drivers would be sent to rehabilitation programs.

According to police data, during last year’s exodus there were 3,635 traffic violations, down from 5,227 the previous year.

Meanwhile, deaths related to traffic accidents reached 795 in 2013, down by around 12 percent from 999 in the previous year. (Ina Parlina and Suherdjoko)