Civic Protest Announced for Monday 16th
Mark the date on your calendar - Monday 6 January 2006. This is the date, when at 8am, the Movimiento Cívico Nacional (MCN) has announced for a demonstration outside the installation of the Ministerio de Obras Públicas y Transportes (MOPT) in downtown San José to put an end to the potholes.

The MCN says it will demand that MOPT Minister, Randall Quiros, eliminate the annual vehicular inspection known as Riteve and the payment of the annual Marchamo and fines for not having either unless it fixes the roads.

"We are fed up with the poor condition of the roads and the non working government and Consejo Nacional de Vialidad (Conavi) which have left the roads to deteriorate for many years, to the point that some roads are unusable", said Eddie Gonzalez, president of the Asociación de Talleres Industriales Costarricenses.

"We are calling on a civil disobedience because the people are fed up with the abuses", said Ricardo Araya, an MCN director.

The MCN says that if the MOPT decides to ignore their proposal they will then take more severe measures, though no details were given.

This week truckers decided to opt of their support of the MCN, however, taxi operators, farmers, auto mechanic shops, bus companies and public employees, including ICE and CCSS employees, all support the MCN.

Anyone who has driven on Costa Rican roads can attest to the poor road conditions. Visitors, more than 1.5 million are expected this year, often comment on road conditions as they make lines at the airport for their return home.

Car rental agencies recommend the rental of 4x4 vehicles if visitors will be travelling outside the San José area, where road conditions are the worst, especially roads leading to popular tourist areas like Tamarindo and Quepos/Manuel Antonio.

The MCN is not wavered by the MOPT's announcement that during the next five months of the current administration, it will fill the potholes and make the road repairs. Minister Quiros says that during January and February, repairs crews will be out in full force filling the holes.

Quiros said that his officials have been out visiting areas, especially the province of Guanacaste, and by the end of January we can see a noticeable improvement of the road conditions,