Vehicular Restriction Of
San José Expanded
Beginning Monday
Beginning on Monday, 23
June, the vehicular
restriction to downtown
San José will be
expanded to include all
areas between the
Circunvalación on the
south side, to the La
Uruca, Hotel Radisson,
Calle Blancos on the
north, Pavas on the west
and San Pedro Mall on
the east. See map below.
In addition, the
restricted hours will be
expanded to 6am to 9am
and 4pm to 7pm from the
current 6am to 8:30am
and 4pm to 5:30pm.
The restrictions will be
in place from Monday to
Friday, depending on the
last digit of the
license plate of the
vehicle: 1 & 2 on
Mondays, 3 & 4 on
Tuesdays, 5 & 6 on
Wednesdays, 7 & 8 on
Thursdays; and 9 & 0 on
Fridays.
The restrictions do not
apply to holidays that
fall during a weekday
and to all emergency
vehicles, buses and
taxis.
The ministro de la
Presidencia, Rodrigo
Arias Sánchez, said
yesterday that the
restrictions, adopted to
face the energy crisis,
will be soon extended to
the entire country once
the executive order is
published in the
official government
publication, La Gaceta.
The program being called
"Pico y Placa" is the
governments response to
reducing traffic
congestion and the use
of fuel as rising costs
is putting a strain on
the economy. The week
before last, the
government decided to
subsidize the cost of
diesel fuel, a cost to
the government of ¢8.7
billion colones, to
offset the latest
increase in fuel prices
being requested by the
state refinery.
However, all the best
efforts by the
government may be for
not, as there are not
enough Tránsito
officials to enforce the
regulation.
The director of the
Policía de Tránsito,
Germán Marín, said last
week that he could only
spare 12 officers to
patrol and enforce the
regulation in the
restriction zone. Marín
added that is looking to
deploy more officials in
the area, but did not
say how many and where
they would be pulled
from.
Another measure that the
government has been
considering is putting a
limit on the amount of
oil it imports and the
amount of fuel
dispensed. Roberto
Dobles, minister of the
Environment, confirmed
that that proposal is
currently being shelved,
but that it could be a
reality if the other
measures do not decrease
fuel consumption.
Vehicles are restricted
from circulating in the
shaded area between the
hours of 6am and 9 am
and 4pm and 7 pm, Monday
to Friday, based on the
last digit of the
license plate:
Mondays 1 & 2
Tuesdays 3 & 4
Wednesdays 5 & 6
Thursdays 7 & 8
Fridays 9 & 0 |
