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COSTA RICA |
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Bomberos
File Appeal Demanding Emergency Lane At
Escazú Tool Station
Emergency vehicles, such as ambulances, fire
trucks and including the Policía de Tránsito,
have to stop at the Escazú toll booths on
the Autopista Próspero Fernández, in either
direction, to fill out a form or pay the
toll before they can cross, even in an
emergency.
This was evidenced last week by a television
camera crew who filmed two Tránsito officers
getting off their motorbikes, with lights
flashing and sirens blaring, to fill out the
form before being able to attend to a
traffic accidents some 800 metres ahead on
the highway.
Well, one group, the Cuerpo de Bomberos, has
tired of waiting for the concessionaire,
Autopistas del Sol, to resolve the situation
and has filed a "recurso" (appeal) with the
Sala Cuarta or Constitutional Court claiming
their right of free transit on the nation's
highways as established by Ley de Tránsito
and articles 11 and 31 of the Ley No.8228
del Cuerpo de Bomberos de Costa Rica.
Héctor Chaves, director of the Cuerpo de
Bomberos, filed the appeal against the
Spanish consortium and Guillermo Matamores,
viceministro de Concessiones for the
Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT).
Chaves argues that "they" in the way of an
emergency and is asking the Sala IV to
either let the emergency vehicles through or
build an exclusive lane for emergency
vehicles.
Although the court is being asked to decide
only for the Bomberos, the decision will
also affect the Cruz Roja (Red Cross) that
operates ambulance service, the Fuerza
Pública (police) and the Tránsito (traffic
police), all who have to spend precious
seconds dealing with the toll operators
while responding to an emergency.
For their part toll booth operators are
fulfilling their duties by requiring payment
by everyone who crosses the toll booths or
in the case of police and emeregency
vehicles, sign a form to waive payment.
A transit officials said last week that in
some cases it is faster to pay the toll out
of their pocket than waste time time filling
out the form, which has to be done
individually by every driver of emergency
vehicles passing the tolls. The waiver
cannot be done by one, while allowing the
others to pass.
"All we are asking for is that the law is
obeyed", said Chaves who is bewildered that
an emergency vehicle must make like at the
tolls.
The press office of the Autopistas del Sol
said that they were not aware of the details
of the court filing, adding that they have
been seeking as solution to the problem
since July, admitting, however, that is not
is sight. |
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