Vehicular
Restrictions Of San Jose Will Be Back Next
Week And With Higher Fines in September
The vehicular restrictions of San Jose will
be back next week, probably on Tuesday and
with not much difference than the previous
restriction that was struck down by the
Constitutional Court on June 12.
Once published in the official government
publication, La Gaceta, which is expected on
Monday, drivers in the San Jose area will
again have to keep in mind that they cannot
circulate on a given day based on the last
digit of their vehicle's license plate.
The vehicular restrictions, under a new
decree, is no different that the last:
Mondays vehicles with license plates 1 and 2
are restricted; Tuesdays 3 and 4; Wednesdays
5 and 6; Thursdays 7 and 9; and, Fridays 9
and 0.
The restricted area is exactly the same, as
the hours from 6am to 7m.
The fine for infringement of the
restrictions is still ¢5.000 colones (plus
court costs).
However, the major change will come on
September 23, when, although the method and
area of restriction does not change, the
amount of the fine does, when offending
drivers will have pay up ¢34.700 colones, an
amount that is sure to deter many drivers.
During the previous restrictions, many
weighed the cost of the fine to the
convenience and time saved. In many cases,
it was cheaper to take the change on being
fined than paying more than the amount of
the fine to take a taxi to and from the
downtown core.
The new fine amount in September is expected
to change that attitude, or at least that is
the thinking of transport officials who are
desperate to keep a percentage of vehicles
off the roads to ease congestion.
Last month the Constitutional Court ruled
that the vehicular restrictions of San Jose,
based on the decree issued by the
government, infringed on the freedom of
movement in an action filed by the former
director of the OIJ.
The Constitutional Court ruling effectively
removed the restrictions, forcing the
government to re-examine the measure which
showed that, without the restrictions, the
time to move through San Jose took on
average 20 minutes more than when the
restrictions where in place.
Yje departamento de Ingeniería de Tránsito
study showed that it took between 17 and 23
minutes to drive in San Jose, dependent on
the time of day and route.
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