Tránsito Director "Guarantees"
Traffic Flow Despite Taxi Strike Action
Taxi drivers and porteadores are taking to the streets today to
protest the long standing dispute between the formal taxi operators
and pirate taxis and the government's failure to resolve the
situation. Each side wants it their way.
Although the demonstration is expected to be peaceful, the Fuerza
Pública (police) and the Policía de Tránsito (traffic police) have
doubled their efforts for today as a preventive measure in the event
there is a clash between the two sides and could lead to violence.
Tránsito officials have made it very clear, they will not tolerate
any blocking of the roads and major arteries and will take measures
to ensure the flow of traffic continues uninterrupted.
However, that may be difficult as the taxi drivers have a history of
blocking and slowing down traffic to draw attention to their cause.
The main roads of the autopista General Cañas, Avenida Segunda,
Paseo Colón, the autopista Florencio del Castillo, Heredia, Santo
Domingo, Tibás, Turrialba, Tres Ríos and Montes de Oca (San Pedro0,
are some of the routes that could be greatly affected by the strike.
Germán Marín, director of the Policía de Tránsito, said he has
issued orders to all his officials to maintain the roads clear,
guaranteeing that people can transit the city and get to their
destination without problems.
Marín added that his officers will be issuing tickets and where
warranted, confiscating license plates of any vehicle causing or
blocking traffic. "We guarantee public order", said Marín.
As of this morning, both the taxi drivers and porteadores refused to
say publicly their direction once they assemble, but it is expected
that groups will be protesting in front of the Legislative Assembly
and Casa Presidencial, where they will call on the government and
lawmakers to take action.
The main dispute is the government's action or lack of action to
stop the porteadores from functioning as a taxi service without
meeting the requiremenets of a formal taxi.
Porteadores are private transportation services that operate from
door to door, meeting the needs of their clients based on a
contract. However, taxi drivers argue that the lack of enforcement
has allowed the porteadores to pick up fares on the streets.
|
|
|
|
|
|
