All Day Vehicular
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Exceptions, Says Transport Minister
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All Day Vehicular
Restrictions Begins
Tomorrow With No
Exceptions, Says
Transport Minister
Tomorrow, Thursday,
begins the all day
vehicular restrictions
of San José as all
vehicles, save heavy
commercial vehicles,
will be restricted from
circulating in the
downtown core, the
circunvalación and La
Uruca on a 24 hour basis
during weekdays.
The measure is being
used to reduce fuel
consumption and the
number of vehicles on
the road causing
congestion.
The restriction is
total, as Tránsito
(traffic) officials will
be vigilant of all
vehicles within the
restricted zone and
according to the
Ministerio de Obras
Públicas y Transportes (MOPT)
the offending driver
could be fined up to two
times on a single day.
Commerical vehicles, all
vehicles with the red
license plates and
stating with a "C" will
only be restricted from
circualting only during
morning (6am to 8:30am)
and afternoon rush hours
(4:30pm and 7pm) and on
the highways leading
into San José.
For many small business
owners, especially those
businesses who depend on
deliveries and sales
calls to customers in
San José, it could mean
a decision of either
flaunting the law or
lose customers, some
critics of the all day
restrictions argue.
The Unión Costarricense
de Cámaras de la Empresa
Privada (Uccaep)
considers that the all
day restrictions will
negatively affect small
and medium sized
businesses.
Big business can easily
adjust the schedule of
their vehicle fleet,
however, that is not the
case for smaller
businesses, some whose
majority of vehicles end
with the same number of
license plate.
"Small businesses have a
small fleet of vehicles
which limits their
ability to ajust", said
Shirley Saborío of the
Uccaep.
The Uccaep is proposing
that the government go
back to the rush hour
only restriction, but
extend it to all urban
centres, like Alajuela,
Heredia and Cartago, for
example, and eliminate
the toll booths, a major
source of waster fuel as
vehicles daily have to
line up to pay the
tolls.
Big companies like Coca
Cola and the Cervecería
Costa Rica have a large
fleet of vehicles and
are able to adjust
better to the
restrictions. However,
company executives say
that the company has to
juggle the fleet to
organize its routes.
In other cases, delivery
trucks have to make
extra long runs to avoid
entering the restricted
area to get to and from
their customers.
One thing is for
certain, the restriction
applies to everyone and
not event he
vice-minister of
Transportes, Viviana
Martín, is given a
break.
On Monday, the
vice-minister's vehicle
was stopped by a traffic
official and the driver
fined after it left Casa
Presidencial in Zapote.
Martín, riding in an
official government
vehicle, said that she
urged the official to
issue the fine.
"When the officer
stopped us, I asked him
to issue the fine,
because there can be no
exceptions. I
reprimanded the driver
because he should not
have been using the
vehicle", said Martín.
The vice-minister added
that she did not pay
attention to the
vehicle's license plate
when she got in.
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The official government
vehicle the vice-minsiter of Transportes, Viviana Martín,
was stopped on Monday by Tránsito officials for
circulating within the restricted area and the driver
fined. The minister said she urged the traffic official
to issue the fine and reprimanded the driver, saying
there are to be no exceptions. Our question: who will
pay the fine? |
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