The new ferry route from Ketapang Port in Java to Lombok in now open which has helped reduce traffic congestion from Gilimanuk to Denpasar.
The opening of the new route has reduced the traffic on the national Gilimanuk – Denpasar road.
According to the information from The Head of Traffic and Road Transportation XI, Anak Agung Oka Nirjaya, the ferry route has decreased traffic on the highway by 50 percent because commercial vehicles headed for Lombok are no longer using it.
Nirjaya also said that the reduction in commercial vehicles using the road would help preserve the highway.
“The asphalt that we use for the road is the B type, which can only take 8 tons of the weight from each vehicle. We all know that most of the trucks that used to take this road were overcapacity which damaged the asphalt” Nirjaya said.
According to the data, the number of the overcapacity vehicles has decreased, especially since the Covid-19 Pandemic.
“It also affects the travel time. It used to take around 4 hours for people to drive from Gilimanuk Port to Denpasar, but with less traffic nowadays it only takes 3 or 3.5 hours maximum.” Nirjaya added.
For now the only ferries being operated on the route are from the Directorate General of Marine Transportation only.
Ferries of Indonesian Harbour, Ltd (Pelindo) will be in operation on the route by the end of 2020.
The Manager of Gilimanuk Port, Windra Soelistiawan said that when the direct route to Lombok can be operated by all ferries next year, it will help reduce the number of traffic accidents on the Denpasar – Gilimanuk road by eliminating a portion of the commercial vehicles.
“I hope it will reduce traffic accidents that are usually caused by reckless drivers and overcapacity trucks and inexperienced drivers that lose control of their vehicles,” Windra concluded.
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