Despite the obvious safety risks of long-haul travel on motorcycles in the countryside, many big city residents have over the past few years developed a preference for the two-wheel vehicle to make their traditional Idul Fitri trips to home towns or villages.

The government had announced ahead of this year`s Lebaran holiday that transportation services would be more than sufficient for more than 15.5 million travelers intending to return to their hometowns.

But groups of motorcycles, mostly from Jakarta and elsewhere, were seen making their way home to celebrate the post-fasting month Lebaran festivity with relatives and old friends

Early this week many of the travelers on motorbikes and private cars were already seen packing Java`s northern coastal highway in Karawang and Subang districts, West Java.

Although the government had given the assurance that the available capacity of such modes of transportation as buses, trains, ships, and airplanes were more than enough to carry all expected Idul Fitri travelers, it appeared that many people had still decided to make their home-bound journeys on motorbikes.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the home-bound travelers were seen with their luggage wrapped in cardboard boxes or bags strapped to the front and back parts of their motorbikes, while those in private four-wheel vehicles had placed their things on the roofs of their cars.

This year`s seasonal mass exodus has already begun as evident from the multitude of travelers moving eastward on the main highways linking Jakata with the interior regions of Java with most of them riding on motorbikes.

Early Thursday morning, a total of 1,384 motorcycles and 396 private cars passed through Bekasi, West Java, heading eastward to Central and East Java.

"Traffic early Thursday morning was relatively normal but dominated by people on motorcycles," Bekasi traffic safety command post official Adjunct Commissioner Haryanto said.

Haryanto said a total of 346 motorcycles and 33 private cars per hour had passed through Bekasi on Thursday morning.

Meanwhile, Purwanto, a traveler from Jakarta to his home village in Kudus, Central Java, said he enjoyed traveling by motorcycle because he felt safer as bikers helped each other when something happened.

Purwanto said he chose to leave early to avoid congestion, because he had learned from past experience that if he left earlier, he would not be trapped in massive traffic jams on the northern coastal highway.

"In past years we were trapped in massive traffic jams on the northern coastal highway. Some traditional flea markets en route between Indramayu and Cirebon districts are also blamed for traffic problems," Purwanto said.

According to him, the flea markets caused traffic congestion because the traders` merchandise occupied most of the road`s surface.

Purwanto said traveling home by motorcycle to celebrate Lebaran with family members and relatives had gained popularity in recent years because fuel prices had risen too much and public transport was too expensive during the holiday season. 

Wahyudi, another motorcyclist from Jakarta said while resting in Indramayu, Cirebon district, on Wednesday that the trip from Jakarta until Indramayu had been smooth, only cargo transport vehicles often posed an obstacle to other travelers.

Although Wahyudi realized the fact that traveling on motorcycle during Lebaran holiday exodus was more risky , he admitted that he enjoyed it because he could stop and take a rest anywhere he wished.

In last year`s Lebaran holiday, the National Police in their "Operation Ketupat" a week before and after last year`s Lebaran festivity recorded a total of 1,460 traffic accidents across the country with 328 fatalities.

The National Police also recorded a total of 3,503 criminal cases, of which 2,551 were conventional crimes and 665 were other forms of crime during the Lebaran holidays in 2010.

In an effort to reduce the number of accidents and fatalities this year, the government was offering motorcyclists free transportation by ship from Jakarta to Semarang, Central Java.

"The travelers can bring along their motorcycles into the ship that will carry them from Jakarta`s Tanjung Priok port to Tanjung Mas port in Semarang," National Police Chief Gen Timur Pradopo said at the presidential office after attending a cabinet meeting chaired by President Yudhoyono on Monday.

Pradopo said the free transportation provided by Indonesian Navy would be more efficient for the motorcyclists and was expected to reduce the number of accidents and fatalities.

"It will be well coordinated as a good opportunity to reduce the number of road accidents which mostly involve motorcycles," Pradopo said.

Last year, around 70 percent of road traffic accidents had involved motorcycles.

Therefore, PT Astra Honda Motor (AHM) planned to organize a joint home-bound holiday trip by transporting around 1,250 travelers from Jakarta to reduce convoys of motorbikes.

"We have announced that in this year`s Lebaran holiday exodus we will organize a joint home-bound trip without motorbikes," Astra Motor company spokesperson Istiyani Susriyati said in Jakarta recently.

She said the Astra Honda Motor would meet the government`s call for joint home-bound trips to suppress the number of traffic accidents.

According to her, the joint home-bound Lebaran holiday trips organized by Astra Honda Motor this year was the second the company had undertaken as the company did the same thing in 2010.

"All along we announced last year we would organize a joint return holiday trip on motorcycles but then we changed our mind and decided to heed the government`s call not to use motorcycles," Istiyani said.

She added that this year Astra Honda Motor company would provide 22 trucks to transport 1,250 motorcycles and 58 buses to carry the holiday travelers from Jakarta to Semarang and from Jakarta to Yogyakarta.

"The trucks and buses will leave Jakarta for Semarang and Yogyakarta on August 26 and return to Jakarta on September 3, 2011," Istiyani said.

But she said only Honda motorcycles which were road worthy could be allowed to join the program by paying Rp50,000 per person.

"We want to help the motorcycle owners to have security and remain fresh in the joint holiday trip this year," Istiyani said, adding that AHM also wanted to make sure the participants were from Jakarta.

Meanwhile, Transportation Minister Freddy Numberi encouraged holiday travelers to use public transportation means instead of travelling on motorcycles.

Freddy Numberi said the travelers could gol by ships or trains with their motorcycles to their hometowns to celebrate Lebaran with their family and relatives.

The transportation minister said the number of ships and trains would be increased so that holiday travelers could have a pleasant and comfortable journey home.

"By providing ships and trains to carry people and their motorcyles , the government hopes the number of traffic accidents involving motorcycles will decrease this year," the transportation minister said

Source: ANTARA