Drivers Continue To Mock
Vehicular Restrictions
Of San José
Ignorance, necessity or
simply "playing" with
the law are some of the
reasons why many drivers
continue to daily mock
the vehicular
restrictions of San José
that is in effect
weekdays between 6am and
7pm, with the last digit
of the license plate
determining the
restricted day.
According to figures
released by the
Ministerio de Obras
Públicas y Transportes
for the period of June
26, the day the
restriction was expanded
to all day instead of
only morning and
afternoon rush hours and
July 26, the Policía de
Tránsito (traffic
police) has issued to
drivers 14.020 tickets
for violating the
restriction.
However, like it not,
and if you can believe
the figures released by
the state refinery, the
Refinadora Costarricense
de Petroleo (Recope),
fuel consumption during
the month of July
dropped one percent over
July 2007.
Recope says that in July
2007 1.505.728 barrels
of oil were consumed,
while last month only
1.488.233 or 17.495
barrels less, were
consumed.
The state refinery broke
down the reduction to 2%
for regular gasoline,
while the use of super
went up 12%.
According to Jorge
Fonseca, captain of the
Policía de Tránsito,
drivers know the
restriction by simply
choose to respect it.
"At least now they
(drivers) don't get too
upset when pulled over",
said Fonseca.
Vivian Martín, the
viceministra de
Transportes, added that
Tránsitos are issuing on
average between 450 and
600 tickets daily. The
ticket is for ¢5.000
colones, plus ¢1.500
colones add ons for
social programs like the
PANI, the child welfare
agency.
Tránsitos are limited to
issuing a maximum of two
tickets on any given day
to the same driver.
Some of the excuses
offered by drivers are:
"I forgot", "Is today
Monday (or other day of
the week)", "it is an
emergency", and so on.
For the viceministra
there is no excuse for
drivers to not respect
the restriction. Period.
One citizen upset at the
restrictions filed an
appeal with the
Constitutional Court,
which on Monday decided
to reject the appeal,
the justices saying that
it did not have merit.
Had the court decided to
side with the appeal,
the restrictions would
have become null and
void.
The restrictions is in
effect from Monday to
Friday from 6am to 7pm
in the Gran
Metropoloitan Area (GAM)
of San José that
includes the area
bounded by the
Circunvalación on the
west, south and east,
and La Uruca, Tibas,
Calle Blancos to the
north.
The ticket is for ¢5.000
colones, plus ¢1.500
colones add ons for
social programs like the
PANI, the child welfare
agency.
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