Jakarta. The Jakarta Metropolitan Police will enforce a car-free night along Jalan Sudirman, Jalan MH Thamrin, and Harmoni in Central Jakarta on New Year’s Eve, Tuesday, Dec. 31, 2024, from 6 p.m. until early Wednesday, Jan. 1, 2025. The iconic roads will be closed to motorized vehicles to accommodate the city’s New Year celebrations.

“This will be similar to car-free day closures,” said Jakarta Police Traffic Director Kombes Pol Latif Usman during a press briefing on Friday.

Latif said the closure is necessary as the area will host multiple New Year’s Eve events. Despite the road closures, MRT Jakarta will operate as usual, with extended service hours until 2 a.m. TransJakarta operations in the area, however, will remain situational.

“Public transportation, such as MRT and KRL (Commuter Line), will be the best option for avoiding congestion during the celebrations,” Latif added.

The commuter line trains heading to Kota Station and TransJakarta buses to Halte Kota Tua will operate 24 hours on New Year’s Eve to support public access to popular destinations like Kota Tua, or Old Town, in West Jakarta.

Kota Tua will feature a range of attractions from Dec. 30 to 31, including the Jakarta Light Festival (JLF) with vibrant light displays and video mapping performances. On Dec. 31, visitors can enjoy additional light attractions and interactive installations at Taman Fatahillah.

The Head of the Kota Tua Unit, Irfal Guci, encouraged the public to rely on public transportation for easy access and to minimize traffic disruptions. “We highly recommend using public transport to visit Kota Tua during the New Year festivities,” he said.