Another Fatality Due to Lack of Pedestrian Crossover
You've driven by it. In a taxi, a bus or in your own car. Anyone living or visiting San José has passed by the Real Cariari mall and Hotel Herradura, where daily dozens of people risk their lives to run across the busy highway traffic.

To catch a bus or a ride to an from work at the mall or the hotel has cost a number of people their lives. Yesterday, at 3pm, 55 year old Lucrecia Araya Porras didn't make it, she was hit by a tow truck when she tried to cross the General Cañas highway.

Transit officials say that a pedestrian cross over is needed, but low financial resources have stalled plans for it.

The pedestrian crossing is one of eight bridges that the Ministerio de Obras Publica y Transporte has identified as necessary and has made plans for construction. But, it will be some time before those plans become a reality.

Yesterday's accident is one of many that occur on a regular basis on major thoroughfares and highways. The scene in front of the Multiplaza in Escazú prompted the removal of a bus stop in front of the mall located on the highway as pedestrians would dash across traffic to get to or from the bus.

At Multiplaza, westbound buses have to enter the mall's access road to pick up and drop off passengers. However, only a short kilometre across from the Cima Hospital to the east , the yellow hearts on the road bear witness to the deaths occurred on the spot.

Other areas that has a daily occurrence of "beat the traffic" is in front of the Hospital México, where in this case a pedestrian bridge exists. The MOPT has built a chain link fence on the highway's divider, in an attempt to force pedestrians to cross using the bridge, however, the "mad dash" occurs daily, as holes in the fence allow pedestrians to save minutes, at the risk of losing their lives, to catch the bus.

Transit officials say there is no easy and quick solution.

People should use common sense and avoid crossing traffic on the highways. However, in most cases, as in the case at yesterday's accident scene, the only way to cross to the other side to catch a bus or ride is to dash across speeding traffic.