HOME-BOUND TRAVELERS STUCK IN SEVERE CONGESTIONS IN JAVA

Jakarta, Sept. 18 (ANTARA) - The exodus of home-bound travelers is causing severe congestions in some parts of Java Island, two days ahead of the Islamic Idul Fitri festivities.

Using private or public vehicles, big city people are heading to other cities in Java or Merak harbor to cross over to Sumatra Island by ferries.

In Nagreg, West Java, known as the 'southern route' for home-bound travelers, the traffic jam was 25 km long on Friday. The congestion started from the direction of Rancaekek, Bandung District, to Garut and Tasik.

"From the west to the east, it's totally jammed and the congestion is estimated to reach up to the border of Garut and Tasikmalaya," Wahyu Diana, a transportation officer of Bandung, said in Nagreg, Friday.

The volume of vehicles passing the Nagreg area increased 50 percent from that on Thursday (Sept. 17), he said.

At Merak harbor, Banten Province, the northwestern most tip of Java Island, travelers were queuing for hours to get on a ferry which would carry them to cross the Sunda Straits to Sumatra Island.

Thousands of private and public cars as well as motorcycles were stuck for hours, from very early Friday, to get their turn to get on ferries at Merak Harbor's Piers I until V.

Sunaryo, a bus driver said that he had been queuing for ten hours in an attempt to ride on Roro ferry to cross to Bakauheni harbor on southern Sumatra island.

He urged concerned authorities to handle the traffic jam problem which consumed so much energy, fuel and time.

Mardani, an officer of Merak Harbor's data unit, said there were a total 3,246 private cars, 129 buses, and 5,371 motorcycles entering the harbor from Midnight (Thursday) to 8 am local time on Friday.

In Sukabumi route, West Java, traffic jams have reached a length of five kilometers especially at Cicurug, Cibadak and Cisaat, Sukabumi District.

Northern Java coastal route of Kerawang (west Java), the congestion also reached five kilometers long, from Cikampek Toll, Cikopo, and Purwakarta.

"I don't know what has caused the traffic jam. I have been stuck here (on Pangulah road, Karawang) for four hours," Zaenal (46), who was heading from Jakarta to Magelang (Central Java), said.

Senen train station in central Jakarta was also reportedly crowded with passengers leaving Jakarta to their home towns for Idul Fitri which will fall on Sunday, Septemer 20, 2009.