Only 1 in 10 Use Pedestrian Overpasses
The statistics are amazing. Only 1 out of 10 people use the overhead passes, that contribute to the blood spilled on the main highways each day.

The government has spend millions of colones building two new pedestrian overpasses on the General Cañas (Alajuela - San José), the main route to and from San José from the airport and west, and will be building four more on the Fernando Prospero (Santa Ana - San José), the Florencio del Castillo (Cartago - San José) and the Circunvalación.

The investment is in response to the number of deaths recorded over the years on the highways, as pedestrians dash out in the way of fast moving traffic.

On the General Cañas, in front of the Plaza Cariari and the Los Arcos residential community, dividing barrier fences have to be installed to deter pedestrian from crossing moving traffic and use the newly built overpasses.

In front of the INA and Hospital México, divider fences have to be rebuilt and repaired a number of times as pedestrians cut though the fence to cross traffic and not use the pedestrian overpasses. At the México overpass, complaints of attacks were a reason a number of years back, until police provided security for pedestrians, but the same mad dash across Costa Rica's busiest highway continues.

On the Circunvalación, the ring road around the south part of San José, the same occurs in the Hatillos, Paso Ancho and San Sebastian. People prefer to cross traffic rather tha use the overpasses.

According to Roy Rojas, director of the Consejo de Seguridad Vial (Cosevi), agrees that security at the overpasses have been a problem and people steer clear of the overpasses, especially at night, but assures that that was a problem in the past.

The other problem Rojas explains is that pedestrians prefer to make the horizontal movement when they are faced with having to climb vertically up the stairs or walkways of the overpass. For some reason, Rojas explains, people prefer to place their lives at risk rather than climb the stairs.

Another reason for not using the overpasses seems to be the reluctance of many to walk the extra distance to get to the overpass and cross safely, preferring to take the risk to cross the highways at the most convenient point.

Rojas added that the publicity campaign "puera a puerta" which forms part of the XVIII Semana de Seguridad Vial, hopes to change the habit of "Ticos" to dash across moving traffic and use the overpasses. The campaign is aimed at schools, factories and residential areas close to the overpasses.

The biggest problem of pedestrian crossing traffic is at the bus stops. Passengers getting off the bus will dash out in the middle of traffic to cross the highways, as those rushing to catch the bus. At the Hospital México and Plaza Cariari bus stops, daily pedestrians dash across traffic rather than use the pedestrian overpasses.

Regularly the sign painters appears to paint the "halo hearts" on the pavement, a symbol to remember those pedestrians who have died on the spot. The hearts can be seen across all highways and mostly close to a bus stop.

Karla González, ministra de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT), said the investment in building the overpasses is for nothing if people don't use them.

During 2005, six people died while trying to cross the General Cañas.